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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195569">i'll be home for christmas (you'll have to be there too) there's a hell of a time to be had in this place (i'll hold on, babe, so i don't lose you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/namedawesome/pseuds/namedawesome'>namedawesome</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lucifer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>#ArchibaldIsADick, F/M, Trixie is adorable, also christmas themed, also there may or may not be bed sharing and the like, chloe does lucifer a favor, daily updates, everyones human in this, lucifer has like ptsd but he's in therapy so hes okay, lucifer is an anxious devil but not really because everyone is human in this, oh yeah most of lucifers family are really mean, so theres that, talk of past abuse/neglect, um theres probably more, um what else...</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:47:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/namedawesome/pseuds/namedawesome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer walked into the precinct (which was covered in holly and wreaths and garlands, because <em>Christmas</em> was just around the corner and it made him want to tear his hair out) as he usually would, all smiles and winks, until he got to the Detective, of course. She was radiant, as she always was, and when her eyes met his, he had to stop himself from telling her so. He placed her coffee order (a tall non-fat almond milk latte with sugar free caramel drizzle) on the desk in front of her and then perched on the edge of it. She’d placed a little reindeer made of corks and toothpicks beside her monitor. It had mismatched googly eyes and antlers made out of pipe cleaners. Her daughter’s creation, no doubt. </p><p>“Morning, Lucifer,” Chloe greeted. </p><p>“Good morning, Detective,” he purred.</p><p>Her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. “What did you do?” </p><p>Lucifer gaped, “What have I… Nothing!”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar &amp; his whole family, Trixie Espinoza &amp; Lucifer Morningstar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>317</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so, this was supposed to be started posting like last week, but i spent last week like trying my damnedest to find a place to live and now that that's taken care of: here we go guys, another christmas fic!!! so, enjoy!!!</p><p>also, great, big, fluffy thanks to SomeoneAsGoodAsYou for all the encouragement and also for being the best friend ever so never change my guy you're absolutely amazing okay????? okay, good!! im glad we understand each other!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucifer walked into the precinct (which was covered in holly and wreaths and garlands, because <em>Christmas</em> was just around the corner and it made him want to tear his hair out) as he usually would, all smiles and winks, until he got to the Detective, of course. She was radiant, as she always was, and when her eyes met his, he had to stop himself from telling her so. He placed her coffee order (a tall non-fat almond milk latte with sugar free caramel drizzle) on the desk in front of her and then perched on the edge of it. She’d placed a little reindeer made of corks and toothpicks beside her monitor. It had mismatched googly eyes and antlers made out of pipe cleaners. Her daughter’s creation, no doubt. </p>
<p>“Morning, Lucifer,” Chloe greeted. </p>
<p>“Good morning, Detective,” he purred.</p>
<p>Her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. “What did you do?” </p>
<p>Lucifer gaped, “What have I… Nothing!” Chloe continued to glare at him. Lucifer stared at her, and then sighed heavily. “I really haven’t…”</p>
<p>“Why are you trying to butter me up with coffee?” she asked him, and then she raised an eyebrow as he brought forward a small paper bag. He watched her as she peeked into opening at the top. “And a lemon bar?” she sighed. “Lucifer…”</p>
<p>“I…” he looked away and took a deep breath. “I need a favor, darling…” Chloe’s arms crossed, and Lucifer rushed to explain. “You certainly don’t have to say yes, and I know you have Beatrice to think about, but…” He cleared his throat and sighed. “My family is having a get together for the holiday and I was wondering if you’d like to attend.”</p>
<p>“A get together?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“And you want me to go because?”</p>
<p>Here, Lucifer sighed and looked down at his hands. He was fidgeting with his cufflinks, a sure sign that he had done something, he knew but he couldn’t help fidgeting. “I did try to make an excuse.” Chloe just raised a brow at him, her arms still crossed, the pastry and the coffee still untouched on her desk. “My little sister, Azrael, Rae-Rae, that is, called me and asked me to… she would like me there and no matter what I told her she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”</p>
<p>“What did you tell her?” Chloe asked.</p>
<p>He looked at her through his lashes. “That I had a… that I had someone to spend the holiday with, but she insisted on me bringing them…”</p>
<p>Chloe sighed again. “You said it was me, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>“Well, I certainly didn’t say it was Daniel.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” Chloe whined.</p>
<p>“Chloe, darling…” he started. “I… If you could come with me, I would… it would be appreciated…”</p>
<p>Chloe tilted her head at him like she was trying to figure him out. She didn’t know much about his personal life, his family (mostly by design, though she was acquainted with Amenadiel). This was the most information she’d ever heard about his family all at once. He’d once said he had about twelve siblings, and sometimes he would mention them, but nothing like this. “It’s a Christmas thing right?” she asked. He nodded. “Well, could Trixie come?”</p>
<p>“No!” he snapped, and then looked contrite at her raised brow. “She shouldn’t… they aren’t…” He looked away from her and sighed heavily. “It would be better if she didn’t, darling…”</p>
<p>Chloe paused for a long moment, making Lucifer a little nervous (she was just trying to process… She’d seen his back, the scars that he had, he’d implied to her once, much too soon in their partnership, that his father had done that to him, and she was never quite sure if he was telling the truth, but he didn’t want her daughter there, was adamant about it, actually. Chloe trusted Lucifer, and if he said it was a bad place for Trixie then she would believe him, her daughter should always be her first priority). “Okay, no Trixie…” she said gently, like she would with him sometimes. “Dan’s been asking for more time with her around the holiday, how long would we be staying?”</p>
<p>“Three nights is all I promised,” Lucifer said, his hope rising, “And we’d be back by dusk on the twenty forth at the latest.” She hadn’t said no, not yet anyway and if he could sweeten the deal for her with the promise of Christmas Day with her urchin, he’d certainly do that.</p>
<p>“I have to talk to Dan, but I’ll let you know, okay?” was all she told him, but she finally took a sip of her coffee. </p>
<p>“Of course, Detective,” he nodded. </p>
<p>It took her a few days to get back to him about whether or not she was going with him, but when she did, Lucifer was so nervous. She’d cornered him at the precinct by the monstrosity they called a Christmas tree, calming him with her hands on his, gentle and soft. “Dan said it was fine with him, so it looks like I can go with you,” she told him. </p>
<p> He was overjoyed and panicked at that. He wanted her to be near him, to support him (because he <em>hoped</em> she would), but he was deathly afraid of her being anywhere near his family. He felt like he was leading her straight into a den of lions, though he was more likely to be prey than her in this scenario. It <em>was</em> his family after all. “Oh,” was all he managed at first. “Right, good.” There was a long pause that sat awkwardly between them. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>She dropped his hands and stepped back, telling him not to worry about it and then told him to text her with the details. As soon as he got them from Rae-Rae, he sent them to her. The next day at work, she told him that she wanted to drive her own car (“It would be better to have two, just in case,” she shrugged), but he insisted. “Darling, if my mother knows that I let you drive I’ll never hear the end of it,” he sighed at her. He was nervous enough about his siblings and father, that Lucifer would rather keep out of his mother’s attention. She would mostly leave him be if he was doing what she thought he was supposed to. He, of course, couldn’t let the Detective know that he was this nervous or worried, but he feared that it was obvious.</p>
<p>On the day of their trip, Lucifer was more nervous than he had any right to be. He showed up at the Detective’s door a little early, but he had wanted to see the urchin before they left, to apologize for commandeering her mother. He knocked, because he was <em>early</em>, and the door was locked, and his hands were much too shaky to pick it like he would do sometimes to annoy Chloe. The door opened and he stared at the empty space before him until he remembered the urchin and looked down. </p>
<p>“Lucifer!” Beatrice Decker greeted him, and then she hugged him around the middle, refusing to let go.</p>
<p>“Beatrice,” he said, instead of trying to pull her off of him. She looked up at him, resting her chin on his stomach as she waited for him to continue. “I don’t mean to take your mother from you at Christmas…”</p>
<p>She interrupted him with a smile. “It’s okay, Lucifer, my mom told me that you needed help and that I couldn’t go because you said that it wouldn’t be good for me if I went, but she didn’t really say why.”</p>
<p>He placed a hand on her head and sighed. Leave it to the Detective to be that considerate. “No one there will be very nice, is all, little urchin,” he told her. Then he started walking deeper into the room, it was the only way to get her to release him. Their tree was less monstrous than the one at the at the precinct, the decorations looked more real than the ones that populated the precinct. They made the room feel warmer and suddenly he felt terrible that he was dragging both the Detective and the urchin away from their normal celebrations… </p>
<p>She opened her mouth to say something, but just then Chloe walked into the room talking on the phone. “Dan, you said you guaranteed the time off!” she groaned. There was a pause. “You promised, Dan! You asked me for more time with her around Christmas!” Lucifer and the urchin shared a look before Chloe continued speaking. “<em>Every single</em> babysitter is booked? You’re kidding me, right?” Another pause. “Fine, Dan, it’s- fine.” She hung up and turned to them, kneeling in front of her daughter. “Sorry, Monkey, looks like your Dad has to work over Christmas and can’t find a babysitter,” she sighed. Lucifer could tell that she wanted to say more, but she wouldn’t in front of her daughter. </p>
<p>“That’s okay, Mommy,” Beatrice said, giving her mother a hug, like <em>she</em> had been the one to be pushed aside for work. “I can just go with you and Lucifer, right?”</p>
<p>Chloe looked up at him, and he sighed too, “I… You don’t have to come with me, I can just… I’ll go to see Rae-Rae, and they can all… Well, the good thing is that you won’t have to meet them after all.” He tried for a smile, but he knew it didn’t hit quite right. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, I promised,” Chloe said, giving him a small, reassuring smile.</p>
<p>He shifted uncomfortably and looked away from the pair of them, “I… Your daughter is your first priority, darling. That is something I can understand. You stay, I’ll go and… face the music as it were.”</p>
<p>“No!” Trixie said, suddenly, loudly. “We can all go! You shouldn’t have to be alone with mean people!” </p>
<p>“Well, we can’t have you there, can we?” he asked sharply, but then sighed heavily as she looked down at her shoes. “I’m… I apologize, Beatrice, darling, I… they <em>are</em> mean people, most of them… It’s not… a healthy environment…” he fumbled through an apology as he knelt in front of the little girl. “I barely want your mother there…”</p>
<p>“But wouldn’t it be better to have us there?” Trixie asked, her brow furrowed. “So you won’t be sad…”</p>
<p>Lucifer looked away from the little girl to her mother. “Detective…” was all he could say. </p>
<p>“We’re going with you. Is that okay?” she asked him. And that was that, it seemed. </p>
<p>He looked down for a moment and then nodded. He didn’t want to go alone, but he was having trouble with the idea of bringing the child. At least the Detective could take care of herself. He met the little girl’s eyes, “You can’t be near my Father alone, or any of my brothers for that matter. You’ve met Amenadiel, but he won’t be nice there, try not to bother him. He’ll be with Dad most of the time… Rae-Rae, Azrael, that is, is a bit like Miss Lopez, you’ll like her. If you can’t find me or your mother, you find Rae-Rae, do you understand? Or Raziel, she’s one of the nicer ones…”</p>
<p>Trixie gave him a look. “There’s gonna be a lot of rules, aren’t there?” </p>
<p>“’Fraid so, Monkey,” Chloe said, placing a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder. It felt like a show of support, and he couldn’t find the words to express his appreciation. “Now go pack a bag, okay? I’ll check on you in a minute.” Lucifer took a moment to breathe as he stood. “You sure you’re okay with this?” Chloe asked, her hand trailing down from his shoulder to his wrist as they stood close to each other. </p>
<p>“The thought of the both of you anywhere near my family…” he shook his head. “Are <em>you</em> sure you’re alright with her coming? It probably won’t be fun, not with Mum there, or Dad…”</p>
<p>Her brow furrowed even as she nodded. “Which of your siblings is going to be there?” she asked. “I know there’s a lot.”</p>
<p>“Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Remiel, Amenadiel, and I told you about Rae-Rae and Raziel…” he sighed. “Oh! And it’s Yeshua’s birthday on the day of, but we’re leaving Christmas eve, so I expect it won’t matter.”</p>
<p>“Should we bring presents?” Chloe asked, she seemed a little stressed, and Lucifer idly wondered why.</p>
<p>“No, that’s been covered, darling,” he told her. “I did tell you I was taking care of everything, didn’t I?”</p>
<p>Chloe sighed, shaking her head. “Lucifer…” she was all she said. </p>
<p>“Really, Detective, it’s the least I could do…” he said looking away from her.</p>
<p>“Mommy, do you know where my boots are?” the urchin called from her room. </p>
<p>With a sigh, Chloe turned to help her daughter. It was about an hour of slightly controlled chaos before they could leave. Lucifer helped them put their bags in the car, and he was glad that he’d chosen a car other than his corvette, because now they had the urchin with them. He could feel Chloe watching him as he helped the child with her bag. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so he just got into the driver’s seat and tried not to think about how she was looking at him. </p>
<p>Chloe got her daughter settled in for the somewhat long car ride with a book and some music, and then she turned to Lucifer. “What’s the story?” she asked. </p>
<p>“As close to the truth as we can get it, darling,” he told her with a wink. “We met at work, and you couldn’t help falling for me, of course.”</p>
<p>Chloe rolled her eyes with a fond huff. “You wish, pal,” she scoffed, but it wasn’t in a mean way. </p>
<p>“Don’t I just,” he purred, grinning as she slapped his arm lightly. </p>
<p>She sighed after a long, comfortable pause, “Lucifer, we need to get our stories straight.”</p>
<p>Lucifer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I fell for you straight away, but it took you a while to warm up to me. <em>The truth</em>, Detective. Play with it, and you can make all sorts of stories.”</p>
<p>Chloe shook her head at him, “Shouldn’t you be calling me Chloe then? If were supposed to be closer?” </p>
<p>Lucifer paused. “I…” he tried, but he couldn’t find the words. “’Darling’ should suffice, wouldn’t you say, Detective?” He managed, his voice a little rougher than it should be. Then his face hardened as he looked away from her, “I refuse to change my habits around my family, darling. If I call you ‘Detective’, then that’s all there is to it. They’re used to me being… being me…” He waved away her concern, or at least he tried. </p>
<p>Chloe stared at him for a long moment. “You resent your whole family, don’t you?” she asked. Her only answer was a glance in her direction. “I just… If you resent them so much why did you agree to visit?”</p>
<p>“Rae-Rae… and Raziel,” he sighed. “They were the only ones that ever treated me like they…” He shook his head. “When I was young, I did something… and they sent me away to a boarding school in London because of it.”</p>
<p>“What happened?” she asked, voice quiet and gentle. She wasn’t being judgmental; Lucifer was sure that she couldn’t ever be… But she might be if she knew this… There was only one way to find out, he supposed.</p>
<p>“I let my little brother fall into the pool…” he said, almost absently. “He was three years old…”</p>
<p>Her brow furrowed. “How old were you?” she asked. Her voice was so soft, that he almost didn’t hear her.</p>
<p>“Five, but I… I should have been watching him better… or saved him…” Lucifer rasped. </p>
<p>“Could you even swim?” </p>
<p>His face screwed up. “Why would that matter?” he asked. “It was my fault… I killed him…”</p>
<p>“Lucifer…” was all he let her say. </p>
<p>“But Rae-Rae was always nicer than everyone else… And she asked to see me,” he sighed. </p>
<p>They were silent for a long moment, until Lucifer reached for the radio. He couldn’t decide on a station and Chloe reached out to stay his hand, gripping his hand tightly in hers. “You’re a good brother, going to see her even though your family is…”</p>
<p>“Well, she was always kind,” he sighed, and then he cleared his throat like he was a little uncomfortable. He glanced down at their hands, but the Detective didn’t seem to want to let go. Instead, she brought her other hand up to their clasped ones in her lap and started to gently play with his fingers. He shifted his gaze from their hands to her face, trying to keep an eye on the road at the same time. She was staring out of the windshield, almost like her mind was elsewhere. “Darling?” he asked, batting at her fingers with his thumb. </p>
<p>Chloe shook her head lightly, but she didn’t release his hand as she sighed and turned to him. “Will your whole family think we’re a couple?” she asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed. “Yes, darling, they will. My mother especially. She <em>is</em> a bit particular, so I’ll be… very much at your disposal.”</p>
<p>“’At my disposal’?” Chloe frowned, scrunching her nose up. </p>
<p>“Opening doors, holding out chairs, fetching drinks. That sort of thing,” he told her with a soft shrug (she still had his hand in hers, and he really didn’t want to give her a reason to let go of it… Her skin was soft, and she was still playing with his fingers, like her mind was on other things…). “And you know I’m always up for a cuddle, Detective,” he smirked, just to see her roll her eyes at him. She did and he had to look away to hide a grin.</p>
<p>“Really? She just expects you to wait on me?” he knew she wouldn’t like it, but he nodded at her. She rolled her eyes at him but didn’t ask him about it again. He would let her challenge his mother, but she was very set in her ways and he was going to try to keep them away from each other. There was another long pause, “Is anyone going to expect us to… act like a couple?” </p>
<p>“Michael, but he’s the worst sort of wanker. Anyone else will be joking and I suspect that Raziel might figure out that we’re not- but that’s not really the sort of thing they’ll be focusing on, Detective.”</p>
<p>“What <em>will</em> they be focusing on?”</p>
<p>Lucifer sighed heavily. He didn’t want to answer, but he had asked this of her and now he was dragging her <em>and</em> the little urchin into it. “Everything I’m doing wrong.” There was a short moment of silence. “Oh, and Yeshua, it will be his birthday, and Mum and Dad do love spoiling him.”</p>
<p>Chloe shook her head like he had given her too much information to process all at once. Perhaps he had, but instead of perusing it, all she did was squeeze his hand and ask him, “How long are we going to be on the road?”</p>
<p>“Six hours; they live in Star City,” he said, taking a moment to look in the back seat. The urchin was reading but she looked up at him and gave him a grin. He looked away to hide a smile of his own. He caught Chloe yawning out of the corner of his eye. “Take a nap, darling. They’ve been working you to the bone at the precinct lately…”</p>
<p>“Worried about me?” she managed through another yawn. </p>
<p>He scoffed at her softly, but she turned to look at him and he smiled softly at her. “Sleep, Detective…” he said, gentle and just for her. When he was sure that she was asleep, he sighed, “I always worry about you, darling…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so, this ones a little tiny bit short, but here we are with chapter 2!!! more tomorrow, guys, its almost CHRISTMAS THO!!!!! enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For about an hour and a half the car was silent, until the urchin complained about needing snacks and the restroom. Lucifer needed to fill up the tank anyway, but he was loathed to wake the Detective, so it was up to him to take the urchin into the convenience store for snacks and a bathroom break. She refused to let go of his hand, but she had at least told him that she had washed and dried her hands after doing her business, so he couldn’t really complain more than usual. He limited her to one sugary item, like he’d seen her mother do a few times, and bought the Detective a few of her favorite snacks and a one of those canned iced coffee monstrosities she loved so much. </p>
<p>Once they were back in the car, the urchin decided that she didn’t want to listen to music anymore. He sighed and resigned himself to a talkative child. He was surprised when she just took some time to watch him as he drove. He was starting to feel the tiniest bit awkward when she spoke. “So, what <em>are</em> the rules for this thing?” she asked, her nose scrunching like her mother’s would sometimes. </p>
<p>“Don’t go near my dad, and make sure not to speak to my mother unless she asks you something, I would hate for you to see your mother get violent,” he started with an imperceptible smirk. “Most of them will pretend you’re not even there, and I doubt there will be anyone there for you to play with…” He remembered that Chloe said the urchin required play.</p>
<p>“So, I have to stay by you and Mommy?” she asked, her brow furrowed. </p>
<p>“That would be best, but I’m sure Azrael will be interesting enough for you,” he told her. “She’s very nice, as far as little sisters go, I suppose.”</p>
<p>“Why would your family be mean to me and my mom if they’ve never met us before?” Trixie asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed heavily. He really wished that the Detective were awake. “They are… very different from the sort of people you’re used to,” he settled on.</p>
<p>“And you too?” she asked tilting her head. “You were nice to me when we met…”</p>
<p>“Y-yes, I suppose I was…”</p>
<p>“So you’re not like your family either, you’re like Rae-Rae,” she said. </p>
<p>Lucifer had to stop himself from telling her that he was so much worse than Rae-Rae. He shook his head and then he told her that she should take a nap because there would be a few things to do before they could settle in when they got there, but she told him she wasn’t tired. He knew his mother was going to make it seem like she cared about him, and perhaps she did, but… Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought the Detective and her offspring…</p>
<p>Lucifer spent the rest of the time Chloe was asleep agonizing about it. </p>
<p>Chloe woke up when they were two hours away from Star City. Trixie was in the middle of a story about how she made sure that a new child in her class was included and how she thought that maybe she had a new best friend. Chloe was glad that her little monkey was more confident. She knew it was due, in part, to Maze and Lucifer. They had somehow become some of the biggest influences her daughter had in her life. To her surprise, Lucifer was actually asking her for some type of advice on friendship because he was describing both Ella and Maze and asking if it was okay to have more than one best friend. Sometimes he shocked her with the things he didn’t know. Things people usually learned in childhood.</p>
<p>She wondered what his had been like. He said that he’d been sent to boarding school. He had hinted that it had happened when he was as young as five years old. Some of the things he let slip made her want to hold him for as long as he’d let her. She turned to watch the two of them and met eyes with Lucifer. She smiled at him as his face softened with relief and something else. She knew the relief was because he wouldn’t have to entertain her daughter for much longer.</p>
<p>“Mommy! You’re awake!” Trixie grinned at her. </p>
<p>“Hey, Monkey, were you good for Lucifer?” she asked, stretching her arms and missing as Lucifer’s eyes followed the line of skin her shirt didn’t cover while she stretched. </p>
<p>“Yeah, and he told me the rules,” she sighed. “I can’t touch anything if it looks super old, and I have to very careful not to spill anything.” </p>
<p>Chloe chuckled at her daughter’s dull tone, “Those are good rules.”</p>
<p>“We got you some snacks too!” she said a little loud as she rummaged through the bag that Lucifer had handed her when they left the gas station. She handed Chloe a bag of spicy Doritos and a canned iced coffee, her favorite kind. She knew that Lucifer had memorized most of her favorites, something that no one had ever really done (though, Dan had known her favorite candy bar but that had been the only thing, never her coffee order or anything like that, at least, not every single thing she preferred). </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Chloe said, smiling at Lucifer. </p>
<p>He huffed and wouldn’t meet her eyes like he usually did when she gave him positive attention. He was still worried about bringing them with him to meet his family, but Chloe trusted him, and knew that he would never bring them, and especially her daughter, anywhere truly dangerous (and that he would help her protect her daughter even if it got him killed). He had saved her life more than she could count, had saved Trixie (and he had almost bled out then, he was delirious in the back of the ambulance, begging his father to let him live, begging someone to let him save them. He had, but he’d been shot, and Chloe had only ever been more scared when she’d seen Malcolm with Trixie, gun pointed at her head, but Lucifer had saved them, and he had almost died in the process… She and Trixie had stayed at the hospital that night, waiting for news to come back from the surgical team and that was… she had been so very worried, until she had been told that he was alright). </p>
<p>“You okay?” she asked Lucifer, offering him her hand. He took it placing an absent kiss to her fingers as he did. It was like he was both present and not, like he was stuck in his thoughts. “Lucifer,” she said, squeezing his hand, “you okay?”</p>
<p>Lucifer snapped to attention. “Sorry, darling,” he sighed. “I’m… you don’t need to worry about me…” Chloe sighed, and Lucifer felt bad for brushing her off. “You really don’t darling. Dear ol’ Dad practically disowned me so I don’t think it could go any better.”</p>
<p>“Disowned you,” she parroted, her voice was flat. That was the second time he’d heard that tone today. He thought that maybe it was his fault. </p>
<p>“Only practically,” was his retort. </p>
<p>She shook her head at him, but she didn’t pull her hand away, so he counted it as a win. They <em>would</em> have to act a little like a couple to counteract Michael’s immature taunts (when the lazy bugger got around to it, of course) He wouldn’t have to lie… he had been half in love with Chloe Jane Decker for longer than he would care to admit (one of their cases was called to mind… a jealous therapist and a patient, him not liking the fact that she had been hanging around Daniel a little more than she had been… the tightness in his chest when he’d thought Daniel was too close). It might be a challenge for her, but she was holding his hand… so perhaps she was getting into character (but they <em>had</em> been acting like that lately, touching each other more, lingering in each other’s space longer… It was a nice change, their closeness. He wanted to see how it would go, but he was afraid to mention it, because he didn’t want her to pull away). </p>
<p>“Are they going to expect anything?” Chloe asked, her thumb was stroking along his as she linked their hands together. He raised a brow at her, and she sighed. “Do we have to act like we’re…”</p>
<p>“Together?” he finished, he thought that they’d talked about this, but if she wanted to do so again, he wasn’t going to complain (perhaps she was feeling anxious about it like he was). “A bit, perhaps. Mostly for Michael’s benefit if he’s going to be making an arse of himself. And Rae-Rae is probably expecting something, but don’t make yourself uncomfortable, Detective.”</p>
<p>“So we’ll… we might have to kiss?” she was biting her lip.</p>
<p>“Not if you aren’t alright with it, of course,” Lucifer said, squeezing her hand. “I’d never make you do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” He wanted her to know that she was safe with him, that she would always be safe with him. </p>
<p>“No, I know,” she said. “I know you wouldn’t… but if we <em>do</em> have to kiss, then I… it’s okay if we do…”</p>
<p>There was a moment of silence, and then: “Why would you guys have to kiss?” Trixie asked, making both Chloe and Lucifer jump. </p>
<p>Lucifer looked at Chloe, a little guilty for dragging her daughter along. Chloe, on the other hand, just sighed, and clutched at Lucifer’s hand a little tighter. “Well, Lucifer told his family that he was spending Christmas with someone, and they assumed that it’s because…”</p>
<p>“Oh, you have to pretend to be his girlfriend, so they don’t tease him?” Trixie yawned. She rubbed her eyes and sat back, clutching her stuffed alien. Perhaps he should have asked the Detective if he could have picked her up earlier, a six-hour road trip always took more than that and it was starting to get late.</p>
<p>“Yes, it’s all pretend,” Lucifer said, his voice a little rough. “You should sleep, you little urchin. We’ll be there when you wake up.”</p>
<p>“Okay, Lucifer,” she sighed, and then she snuggled down into the nest of blankets she’d made while her mother was asleep. She was asleep as soon as she laid her head down. </p>
<p>There was a long moment of silence, Chloe’s hand still wrapped around his. She brought their hands up to her lips and placed a kiss to their overlapping fingers. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked again.</p>
<p>He sighed deeply. “Just not looking forward to getting there is all, darling,” he told her, a small, rueful smile in place. “Mum might corner you at some point, as well…I’ll try to stop her,” He sighed. “Nothing major, I suspect, but from what I’ve heard from some of my siblings’ old girlfriends it’s to threaten them if they so much as think about taking her child from her. A bit dramatic if you ask me, but she might not care much if it’s me. Though she has always been the jealous type…”</p>
<p>Chloe sighed, still fidgeting with his fingers. “Do you really… Was it really a bad idea to bring Trix?”</p>
<p>“Not… She’ll most likely be alright, but I am…” He sighed in frustration. “I just don’t think she should be near my father at all.” He took a deep breath and tapped at her fingers with his thumb. “He’s not the type to be kind to anyone, not even a child.”</p>
<p>“We’ll just keep her close,” Chloe responded in a soft tone, looking back at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully in the back. 	</p>
<p>Lucifer shifted his shoulders, he felt like they were bothering him, burning almost. He knew why, they always bothered him just a little more whenever he thought about going back home. His father, when each of the children he’d adopted had become ‘of age’ had taken them to get tattoos on their backs. It was always an intricate pair of wings, one on each shoulder blade, and it had been one of the most painful things he’d ever been through (the most painful had been when he had asked Maze to cut them away. She’d had to dig her knifes deep so that none of the ink remained, and Lucifer had remembered screaming and crying and the fever like shivers that he’d had from the shock was something he never wanted to feel again), being held down at 15 and being made into something he’d never wanted to become, not even when Amenadiel had got his and been so proud, had shown his siblings with pride what their father had made him… </p>
<p>Lucifer and Chloe spent the rest of the ride holding hands and talking softly about work and his family. He told her about Yeshua and how he was very kind and would probably love Beatrice, and that Michael was the worst sort of brother, loud and annoying and a twin, “but not quite as charming as me and without the accent, darling, I picked <em>that</em> up in London in my boarding school days”. He told her more about Rae-Rae and Raziel and how they were the kindest of his siblings, always with their gentle teasing. He told her about Gabriel and how he was kind enough but didn’t like to associate with Lucifer because of what had happened to Uriel. He told her about Raphael, the doctor in the family, and how he was nice and kind, but only away from the rest of the family, and about Remiel, who was haughty and hated him and was very much like a younger Amenadiel. “You know Amenadiel, of course,” he told her, “just know that he will be a bit more formal, darling.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>who's ready to meet the family??? also, how do you like lucifer's dad's name??? it made me lol when i thought of it, so i hope it does you guys too!! </p>
<p>enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they pulled up to the house, more of a mansion, really, but Lucifer was used to that sort of thing, Chloe gaped up at it for a moment. Lucifer and Chloe both tried to wake the urchin, but she was dead asleep, so after he opened Chloe’s door for her, he opened the back and pulled the urchin into his arms, trying his best to be gentle. The only movement she made was to automatically wrap her arms around his neck and to bury her face there as well. “I can take her,” Chloe told him, settling a hand on Beatrice’s back, overlapping slightly with his fingers.</p>
<p>“I’ve got her, darling,” he said, his free hand going to the small of her back to lead her towards the house. “Let’s get you and the little love settled and I’ll come get the rest of the bags.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer, I can help,” Chloe told him. </p>
<p>“Darling, it’s late and my mother is watching us from the front window, if you try to pick anything up, then she’ll never let me hear the end of it,” he sighed. </p>
<p>“So we get Trixie settled and then you come and get the bags?”</p>
<p>“Yes, darling.” He hesitated for a moment before saying, “They’ll have already had dinner, so if you’re hungry I could always go down to the kitchen for you. And the urchin if she wakes up…”</p>
<p>“That would be great, Lucifer, thank you,” Chloe told him, smiling up at him with her bright eyes. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, I thought your sister said you were only bringing one person with you,” his mother said from the doorway, bringing his attention abruptly away from Chloe. </p>
<p>“There was a… slight change of plan, Mum,” he said, his body tensing, and he knew that Chloe could feel it because she was so close to him. “I… I know I should have called…” </p>
<p>“Oh, don’t worry about it now, just bring them in,” the other woman sighed. “Don’t worry about the bags either, we’ll have Alex come and get them. He’ll park the car as well.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Mum,” he replied, and he could feel Chloe’s eyes on him. He’d never been one to acquiesce to demands that easily. “Is there… could we put the little ur- little darling to bed? She’s a bit tired from the trip.”</p>
<p>“Oh, you aren’t going to wake her?” </p>
<p>Chloe and Lucifer shared a look. “Beatrice doesn’t like to be woken up when she’s sleeping, Mum…” he said. It was something he learned the hard way one day when he woke her up and Chloe made him deal with her. It wasn’t the best time he’d ever had with the child.</p>
<p>“People are waiting to meet her, and you know that your father would want a proper introduction,” Charlotte Godson said, her voice brokering no argument. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed almost inaudibly. “Mother…”</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” the woman snapped.</p>
<p>Lucifer didn’t flinch noticeably, but he knew that Chloe felt it when he did. “Yes, Mother…” he sighed. He felt like he would be doing that a lot while he was here.</p>
<p>“We’re in the sitting room when you’re ready,” Lucifer’s mother told them, and then she walked deeper into the house. He looked around, trying not to frown at the fancy wreaths his mother had placed along the stair railings.</p>
<p>Chloe raised a brow at him, and he looked away. “She really wants us to wake her?” she was practically growling.</p>
<p>“She’ll expect it, but we really don’t have to, darling,” he told her. “We can put her upstairs and-”</p>
<p>Chloe shook her head. “She doesn’t like waking up alone… I’d rather keep her close. But the next time she says something like that…” Chloe threatened.</p>
<p>Lucifer nodded, “I know, darling… I know…”</p>
<p>He and Chloe coaxed Beatrice awake, but she refused to be put down and wouldn’t even go to her mother. She clung to Lucifer and would hide her face in his neck whenever anyone (either of them) spoke to her. “I’m tired,” was the first thing she said to him that wasn’t a groan.</p>
<p>“I know, urchin,” Lucifer whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry we had to wake you, but my parents are… they expect things…”</p>
<p>She pouted and sniffled a little, snuggling closer. “You said they were mean…” she whispered to him. </p>
<p>“I’ll keep you safe, little love,” he said, voice soft like when he spoke to the Detective. Chloe, who was walking next to him, shifted closer to the both of them. Which was good because he was feeling more than a little unsettled. He hasn’t seen his father in the longest time, and he suspected he’d have to call Linda before the trip was over (well more than he already would, his usual appointment was still scheduled for the next day, but it was over the phone). </p>
<p>“Lucifer!” Amenadiel’s voice rang out, filled with surprise. “Azrael said you were coming, but I wasn’t so sure. She said you were brining someone with you…” He looked between Lucifer and Chloe, with confusion. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Lucifer sighed, “and I have brought them.”</p>
<p>“You and… you and Chloe are together now?” He was gaping at them.</p>
<p>Lucifer and Chloe looked at each other. Lucifer’s lips quirked and Chloe shook her head at him, with a fond roll of her eyes. “Yeah, Amenadiel, we are,” Chloe said on a sigh. </p>
<p>Amenadiel smiled, “That’s great!” He looked back at Lucifer and saw Trixie frowning at everything in her path. “Hello, Trixie,” he chuckled. </p>
<p>“’Lo,” Trixie responded, but then she hid her face in Lucifer’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“She’s a little grumpy,” Chloe told him, with an apologetic smile. </p>
<p>“Mum said Dad would like to meet her,” Lucifer said, looking past Amenadiel’s shoulder to the rest of the room. “I don’t see why, he’s abysmal with children.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Amenadiel said, voice stern. </p>
<p>“What, Amenadiel,” Lucifer said, eyebrow raised to challenge his brother. </p>
<p>“You know better than to say something like that about father!”</p>
<p>“Which one of us are you badgering now, Amenadiel?” a different voice said. Louder than his eldest brother’s and it made the urchin cling tighter to him. The speaker came into view and stopped short, blinking in surprise. “Lucifer!” he shouted, sounding strangled.</p>
<p>“Michael,” Lucifer greeted. There was a tense moment in the room. Lucifer cleared his throat, “This is Chloe Decker and her daughter, Beatrice.”</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you,” Chloe offered, sticking out her hand. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you too,” Michael said, sounding a little faint. </p>
<p>They walked further into the room, Lucifer knowing that Beatrice was on the verge of sleep even as she lifted her head from his shoulder. “He was loud. And scary...” she whispered to him. </p>
<p>“It’s okay sometimes people just talk like that, Monkey,” Chloe said before Lucifer could say anything (he would have told her that Michael <em>was</em> scary, but that had been when they were younger… Though, Michael had been the one to physically throw him out of the house after he’d finished boarding school and told his father that he wouldn’t be a part of the crazy cult that his father was trying to start (and the bastard had the money to succeed at it too) but Lucifer had been adamant that he wouldn’t be a part of it). </p>
<p>“Lucifer!” another man shouted, his voice lighter and much more welcoming than Michael’s. </p>
<p>“Yeshua,” Lucifer said with a small smirk. “Happy early birthday.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, big brother,” Yeshua chuckled. “And who’s this?” he asked, smiling kindly at the little girl holding tightly to Lucifer. </p>
<p>“This is Detective Chloe Decker and Beatrice, her daughter,” Lucifer introduced. </p>
<p>“Absolute pleasure,” Yeshua grinned at the two of them. Chloe shook his hand, but Trixie hid her face in Lucifer’s shoulder again. “Is she tired?” </p>
<p>“Grumpy,” Chloe replied quietly with a chuckle. “We had to wake her when we got here.”</p>
<p>“Poor kid,” he sighed. “It was nice to meet you, Beatrice.”</p>
<p>“Y-you can call me Trixie,” the urchin spoke up from his shoulder. </p>
<p>Yeshua grinned, “Hello, Trixie.”</p>
<p>“Lu!” they heard and then he was attacked from his right side by someone. </p>
<p>“Rae-Rae!” he greeted in surprise, wrapping his free arm around her.</p>
<p>“I knew you were coming!” she was jumping up and down while holding onto him, making the urchin groan in his ear when she would usually be giggling. </p>
<p>“I’ve never been one to break a promise, little sister,” he said softly. </p>
<p>She pulled back and grinned at him. “You must be the ‘someone’ that my brother said he was spending the holiday with!” she grinned, turning to Chloe. “And you have a kid! That’s great! Lu’s <em>amazing</em> with kids!”</p>
<p>Chloe and Lucifer met eyes. He was… awkward at best with children, and the only one he was used to, in any sense, was Beatrice. “He’s… he’s got a rhythm with Trixie,” Chloe offered.</p>
<p>“My name is Azrael, but you can call me Rae-Rae!”</p>
<p>“I’m Chloe, this is Trixie,” Chloe said, not quite as enthusiastic as Rae-Rae. “Lucifer’s told me a lot about you.”</p>
<p>“Aww! Lu, you’re so sweet!” Azrael grinned. </p>
<p>“She never said it was anything good, my dear sister,” he smirked, as his sister rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” a cold, stern voice said from their left.</p>
<p>Lucifer put a hand on the urchin’s back as if he were trying to protect her. “Dad,” Lucifer’s voice was equally cold. </p>
<p>“You’ve brought guests,” the older man said. His hair was graying, and his shoulders were much broader than Amenadiel’s. </p>
<p>Lucifer had to stop himself from practically snarling at his father as he looked over the Detective and his daughter. “This is Detective Chloe Decker and her daughter Beatrice,” Lucifer said, his whole body was stiff. “Detective, Beatrice, this is my father, Archibald Godson.”</p>
<p>“Pleasure,” Archibald said with a raised brow. He didn’t seem like he was pleased in any way at all. </p>
<p>“Nice to meet you,” Chloe said. She was glancing between Lucifer and his father like she was trying to figure them out. </p>
<p>Archibald looked from Lucifer to the urchin, like he expected something from the little girl. “Say ‘hello’, little love,” Lucifer coaxed, one hand stroking her hair away from her face. </p>
<p>“H-Hello…” she said, she clutched Lucifer’s neck tighter but this time she didn’t hide her face. </p>
<p>The older man merely nodded and then turned away. Lucifer let out a breath in relief and clutched the urchin just a little tighter. “Alright, darling?” he asked Chloe when she stared at him for a little too long. </p>
<p>“Are you?” she asked him instead of answering. </p>
<p>“Never better,” he sighed, voice flat. </p>
<p>Beatrice tightened her arms around his neck again. “Can I go back to sleep now?” she whined. </p>
<p>“Go to sleep, Monkey,” Chloe told her after Lucifer hesitantly nodded, letting Chloe know that he could hold the urchin for a while longer. “We’ll find you a bed soon, okay?” She yawned out an ‘okay’ and was asleep within seconds. </p>
<p>“Come on, Lu! Raziel didn’t believe me when I told her you were going to be here!” Azrael was pulling at his arm, but she couldn’t move him. “Lu!” she whined. </p>
<p>Lucifer watched as Chloe rolled her eyes at him teasing Azrael. He remembered a time when she’d expressed having a lonely childhood, which he could relate to because he spent most of his time at boarding school, away from his siblings. His younger siblings were always kinder to him, liked seeing him on the odd holiday that his mother had claimed to miss him. Most of the time, he’d be kept at the school over the summer holidays. Over almost every holiday. </p>
<p>He allowed himself to be pulled along by Azrael, making sure that the Detective was on his heels. He nodded a greeting to Raphael, Remiel, and Gabriel who barely spared him any attention. Well, Raphael had, but he suspected that it was only because the last time they had seen each other was before Lucifer had ended up in LA, and certainly before he’d met the Detective. Raphael was a good brother when none of their other siblings were around, but when they were he barely ever interacted with Lucifer.</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” he heard, and when he looked up he had an armful of his other sister. “I thought Rae was just- you’re really- you’re here!” Raziel was clinging to him, much like the urchin had been all night. </p>
<p>“I promised that I would be,” was all he said.</p>
<p>“And you never break your promises,” she grinned at him. Then she caught sight of Chloe and noticed that he was only hugging her with one arm. “You’ve brought someone home! Wait, you? <em>You</em> brought someone home?”</p>
<p>“Razzie,” Lucifer sighed. </p>
<p>“The one man who claimed to ‘never want to bring anyone into this hellhole of a family’?” she pulled back and looked between them. It was like she knew exactly what they were up to. </p>
<p>“Razzie, this is Chloe Decker, and this little unconscious urchin, is Beatrice,” Lucifer said, “and I didn’t want to bring them here I was roped into a promise by someone who knew I couldn’t say ‘no’ to them.” He glared at Rae-Rae who gave him a tentative smile. “And you know I would never call this family a hellhole,” he paused, mostly for dramatic effect. “I called it a ‘clusterfuck’.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” his mother scolded from behind him even as Raziel cackled with laughter. </p>
<p>Lucifer whirled around with a flinch, covering the urchin’s head with his hand on instinct (and Chloe had to really fight back the reaction on that one, Lucifer really thought that these people were capable of… but he <em>had</em> just called his family a clusterfuck, so maybe they were…). “Apologies, Mum,” he said, voice small and unlike how he spoke to his sisters. </p>
<p>“You never introduced me to your guests,” Charlotte said. She didn’t sound pleased. Lucifer had known he’d forgotten something. </p>
<p>“Mum, this is Chloe Decker, but Beatrice fell asleep again, I’m afraid,” he said, he felt overly formal and he could feel Chloe staring at him like he was insane. “Chloe, this is my mother, Charlotte Godson.”</p>
<p>“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Chloe started, putting a hand out, “you have a lovely home… The decorations you’ve put up are gorgeous.” She motioned awkwardly around the room with her hand when Lucifer’s mother ignored it. The tree in the corner was of the frosted variety. He knew there was one in every room, and that every room had its own theme.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Charlotte said, and then she looked back at Lucifer. “Are you going to wake her up so I can say hello?” she asked.</p>
<p>Lucifer bristled (Chloe heard Raziel mutter something like ‘oh no’) and before he could temper himself he replied, “Beatrice is tired, Mum, we’ll let her sleep.”</p>
<p>“Will we?” she challenged. </p>
<p>(And Chloe was about to roll up the sleeves of her sweater and start fight, but then Lucifer spoke)</p>
<p>“We will,” he almost growled, turning the child away from his mother. “You can meet her in the morning.”</p>
<p>Charlotte glared at Chloe and Lucifer for a long moment, but then she just walked away. Raziel grinned at them when they turned back to her. “Back for barely an hour and you’re already causing problems, Lu?” she chuckled. </p>
<p>“I thought that was just his natural state,” Chloe offered, giving him a warm smile to let him know she was mostly kidding. Mostly. </p>
<p>Raziel grinned at her, “I like her, big bro! She knows how to handle you! You gonna keep her?”</p>
<p>“Razzie!” he growled, but not like he had at his mother.</p>
<p>Chloe reached out and placed a hand on his stomach. “Lucifer,” she said, and he practically melted against her. “You <em>do</em> like to cause problems, babe.”</p>
<p>Lucifer’s spine tingled in surprise. She’d never called him <em>that</em> before. Maybe she could tell that Raziel didn’t really believe that they were dating. “I don’t cause you too many problems, do I, darling?” he asked, voice soft and warm, like the hand she had on his stomach (and she hadn’t pulled away yet, which he… he liked it, when she lingered in his space).</p>
<p>“Oh, only three or ten or something like that,” she smiled. </p>
<p>He rolled his eyes, but now Raziel was looking between them like she was seeing something she hadn’t the first time, and Lucifer wasn’t sure he liked that. Before anyone could say anything they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Lucifer turned, surprised to see Raphael. “Raphael,” Lucifer greeted, not unkindly. </p>
<p>“Hey, Lu,” Raphael offered. He was just two years younger than Lucifer and looked like he belonged on TV instead of working at a real hospital. “I’m… I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve seen you…”</p>
<p>“That’s quite alright, Raphael,” Lucifer offered with a smile. “Amenadiel lives in the same city and can barely find the time to visit. You’re all the way on the east coast, brother.”</p>
<p>“I still… you were the one that told me to do whatever I wanted even though Dad wouldn’t like it,” he sighed, “anyway… introduce me?” </p>
<p>“Of course,” he managed through his shock (none of his family had ever listened to him, much less taken his advice and were happier for it…). “This… This is the Detective, well, Chloe Decker and her daughter, but the little urchin’s sleeping, so you’ll meet her tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“A pleasure to meet you, Chloe,” Raphael said with a smile. She shook his hand and was probably about to ask him which hospital he worked at when, instead, he gave her a smile. “You’ll never get him to stop calling you ‘Detective’ I expect,” he chuckled. “If I had been born with my MD I get the feeling that my nickname would be ‘Doctor’ in this house.”</p>
<p>Chloe laughed, and Lucifer couldn’t stop the quirk of his lips at the sound. “I’m pretty sure it’s how he saved me in his phone,” she said, smiling up at him. He looked away willing his cheeks not to turn red. </p>
<p>Those around him broke into laughter, but this felt different than it usually would in this house. Usually people laughing at him would make his stomach drop, but this was… this felt like it did when the urchin and Chloe were teasing him on one of their game nights. He let them talk, focusing mostly on the feel of the Detective pressed against him and the weight of the urchin in his arms. He felt eyes on him and looked up, seeing Gabriel and Remiel frowning at Raphael and his father frowning deeply at him. He had known that this trip was a bad idea, but here he was anyway. He clenched his jaw, already feeling tense. The only thing that kept him in place was the Detective.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>what could possibly be in this chapter??? on their first night at his parents house???? who all think he's in a relationship?????? HHHMMMMMMMMM I WONDER.... ;D</p>
<p>enjoy, my firends!!!!!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eventually, even the Detective started yawning, which meant that he did as well. He was used to being awake at all hours of the day, but driving was exhausting, and dealing with his family was more so. He made their excuses and found Alex Wooster, the butler of the house, so that they could be shown to their rooms. Which was more like a hotel suite than rooms in a mansion. </p>
<p>“Here we are, Master Morningstar,” Wooster said. “The child’s room is connected to the main bedroom, and there is an in suite in each room.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Mr. Wooster,” Lucifer said with a tired smile. “And how many times will I have to ask you to call me Lucifer?”</p>
<p>“Of course, Master Morningstar,” was all the butler said, and then he turned away and walked out of the room. </p>
<p>Lucifer huffed out a laugh, and then turned toward the Detective. She was staring at the bed. The one bed. Lucifer froze, he hadn’t thought of that… “I’m sorry, darling, I... I didn’t think that… I forgot about sleeping arrangements…” he sighed heavily and couldn’t quite look at her. “You and the urchin can have this room; I’ll sleep in the other one.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer, the bed in there is a twin, there’s no way you would fit,” Chloe sighed. She was staring at the bed, and Lucifer couldn’t see her face. </p>
<p>“I can manage, darling,” he told her, and he stepped forward to lay the urchin on the bed. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, no!” Chloe said, sharp and it made him flinch. She sighed, but he was still looking at the floor. “Lucifer…” she started again, gentler this time, “I’m not making you sleep in a tiny bed. You know your back can’t handle anything like that since Malcolm… since he shot you…” </p>
<p>Lucifer looked up and met her eyes, “I am sorry, darling…”</p>
<p>“I’m not mad at you,” she told him, finally turning to face him. “I didn’t think about it either…”</p>
<p>“Yes, well…” he sighed. “I’ll just… get the urchin settled, shall I?”</p>
<p>“We’ll just put her in bed,” Chloe told him, leading him through the door. “Putting her in her pajamas would just wake her up.” She turned a lamp on and pulled the covers down so that Lucifer could place the urchin under them. He watched Chloe slip off her daughter’s shoes and place a kiss to the side of her head before she tucked her in. When they both exited the room, Chloe left the door open just a little and told him that it was so Trixie would know where they were when she woke up. </p>
<p>They turned back to the bed, which was starting to resemble an elephant in the corner just getting bigger and bigger, and Lucifer sighed for about the hundredth time that day. “I could sleep on the floor, Detective,” he offered. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, when Malcolm shot you he was this close,” she used her thumb and pointer finger to show him just how close, but Lucifer thought that it was a bit of an exaggeration, “to your spine. You are <em>not</em> sleeping on the floor!” She took a deep breath in, “We’ll just… share.” They were silent for a moment. She finally looked up at him with a soft smirk playing at her lips, “Just remember to keep your hands to yourself.”</p>
<p>“Darling, what <em>will</em> you do if I don’t?” he teased with a smirk of his own.</p>
<p>She found her bag and started digging out her pajamas. “I brought my gun with me, Lucifer.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Detective, you say the kinkiest things,” he purred. </p>
<p>Chloe reacted in just the way he’d hoped, with shock and then she rolled her eyes. “Lucifer,” she warned, her eyebrows raised.</p>
<p>“Yes, I know, darling, right in the leg again?” he chuckled.</p>
<p>“Lucifer…” her tone wasn’t teasing anymore, and she was sitting on the edge of the bed rummaging through her bag.</p>
<p>He crowded her as she stood, his hand going to her lower back. “I know it was an accident, darling. I wouldn’t have given you that necklace if I was angry at you for it,” he told her, rubbing a hand up and down her back. </p>
<p>Chloe hummed, leaning into him a little, “It brought us closer…”</p>
<p>Lucifer smiled down at her. She yawned at him and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her, “Get ready for bed, darling. Tomorrow will be even worse than today.”</p>
<p>She bit her lip, muttering about how it wasn’t <em>that</em> bad, but she nodded, hurrying off to the bathroom to go through her nightly routine. Lucifer sighed and changed into his pajama pants fairly quickly. He hadn’t been thinking about it when he packed, that he’d basically told his family that he was in a relationship, so he didn’t have any sort of shirt to wear to bed. He refused to wear one of his dress shirts. He hoped that it would be alright with the Detective. He sighed, stepping towards the bed and pulling the covers back, waiting for Chloe to come out of the bathroom and trying not to anxiously fiddle with his ring.</p>
<p>After his moment of hesitation, Chloe come out of the bathroom and stalled at him standing shirtless next to the bed, clutching the blanket in one hand (and she had seen him shirtless, had seen him naked, even, but he looked… softer here, in this very modern guestroom looking at her like… well, it was like he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but that… that couldn’t be, could it?).  Lucifer had to snap himself back into the moment because she was… she was the most… she was beyond beautiful and he couldn’t find the words to describe it. “Er… wh-which side of the bed would you like, darling?” he asked, making himself look away.</p>
<p>“Oh! Um, that side actually,” she said, almost like she was being shy. </p>
<p>“Ooh, you’re a righty, are you?” he waggled his eyebrows at her as her fluffed the pillow for her.</p>
<p>Chloe laughed, and came up next to him, stilling his hands. “Lucifer, you don’t have to <em>fluff my pillow</em>, you’ve done enough today. You held Trixie for like three hours…”</p>
<p>Lucifer shifted his shoulders, “I just… I want to make sure you’re comfortable, darling…”</p>
<p>Chloe squeezed his hands in hers. “Lucifer…” she sighed, and then she shook her head. “Let’s go to sleep, okay?”</p>
<p>Lucifer nodded, and watched Chloe as she climbed into bed. He made himself walk around to the other side of the bed, turn off the lamp, and slip under the covers. He made sure to lay on his back so she wouldn't see his scars again (the first time she had seen them she’d completely ignored how attractive the rest of him was, but her fingertips had brushed one of them and he’d turned and grabbed her wrist like she’d touched an open wound. It had felt like she had…).  There was a long moment of silence between them. </p>
<p>“I’m comfortable with you,” he heard her say, her voice soft and sweet and just for him. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. “Your family is… they’re not as… Your mom and dad were the only ones that really made me…”</p>
<p>“It’s only the first night, darling,” he sighed, trying not to yawn, but it didn’t work, and one was forced out of him. “Michael didn’t even get the chance to start. Too shocked, I expect.”</p>
<p>“Go to sleep, babe,” she told him, turning in his direction, her fingertips on his bicep. </p>
<p>He shook his head, “I won’t sleep well on my back, Detective.”</p>
<p>He could practically hear her roll her eyes at him. “Okay, so just roll over and go to sleep…”</p>
<p>“Detective, really…” he sighed.</p>
<p>He felt hers toes against his sleep pants and had to stop himself from reaching out and pulling her to him. “Your back hurts from driving all day and carrying Trix around, doesn’t it?” she asked. She was still speaking softly, but it sounded a little bit like it would if she were scolding him.</p>
<p>“I’ll be alright,” he sighed, and then just to make her sigh at him he added, “perhaps I should have brought those painkillers…”</p>
<p>“Lucifer.” She hadn’t sighed at him, but he knew that tone of hers. </p>
<p>“I didn’t bring anything except for a bottle of my finest and my flask, darling,” he told her. She was silent for a long moment, and he sighed deeply. “I didn’t, I promise. And you know I would never do anything… untoward with the urchin nearby.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Chloe sighed. He knew that she hated his coping mechanisms, something Linda called his ‘less than savory habits’. He sighed too, which turned into another yawn, and before he knew it, he’d rolled over onto his side away from her. He was about to tell her goodnight, when he felt her fingertips on his back, tracing the edge of one of his scars, but never touching it. He couldn’t help the shiver that took him. “You told me once that… that your dad…” she scooted closer and Lucifer found himself relaxing under the warmth of her hand on his back.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” he managed, “They used to be tattoos… I asked Maze to cut them off for me.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you just get them removed?” </p>
<p>“Didn’t want to be stuck with them any longer,” he finished with a yawn. The last thing he felt before he fell asleep Chloe’s body pressing close to his back. </p>
<p>When he woke next, he was on his back and the urchin had just kneed him in the stomach as she climbed over him. “Sorry, Lucifer!” the little girl whisper shouted. He just groaned and closed his eyes feeling warm and comfortable until the urchin started trying to wedge herself between him and her mother. He snagged her around the waist and held her against his other side. She wriggled under the covers and settled against his shoulder. “When do we get to have breakfast?” she asked him.</p>
<p>“What time is it?” he sighed, not ready to face the day, but if the urchin was hungry, he was afraid that he would have to.</p>
<p>“Five thirty,” she sighed, like it was the worst news she’d ever heard. </p>
<p>The urchin hadn’t eaten since four in the afternoon the day before, that was a very long time ago in urchin time. He was about to sit up when something that was slung around his waist moved. He looked down and saw that it was the Detective’s arm. She had her face tucked against his ribs and her arm slung over his waist. It felt warm and Lucifer really, really didn’t want to get up… Chloe sighed against him, her warm breath skittering over his skin. He should get up and feed the urchin, because the softness and comfort wafting off of Chloe Decker was almost enough to kill him. “Alright, Beatrice, we’ll go and fetch you some breakfast,” he sighed. “Go and get dressed.”</p>
<p>“You have to get dressed for breakfast here?” she pouted. </p>
<p>His mother wouldn’t like it if she saw the little girl dressed in her pajamas downstairs. “I’m afraid, so, little love,” he sighed. </p>
<p>Beatrice stared at him for a long moment, and then she asked, “You didn’t like growing up here, did you?” </p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>She frowned and then she snuggled closer to him. “Because your dad was scary?” she whispered.</p>
<p>“In part,” he sighed and then the moment was gone when Beatrice’s stomach gurgled loudly. “Now go and get dressed, urchin, before your stomach comes to life and devours us all.”</p>
<p>“You’re so silly, Lucifer,” she giggled at him as she scrambled to get up. </p>
<p>He rolled his eyes and tried to detangle himself from the Detective. She groaned lowly and hugged him closer. “Come now, darling, the urchin’s hungry,” he whispered to her. She grumbled something at him and then rolled away, burrowing under the covers. He chuckled and went to get dressed in the bathroom after stretching his back (which ached just a little bit, but not as much as it should have if he’d been sleeping on his back like he had been when he woke up). He didn’t bother with shoes, his mother would care, but he thought Beatrice would appreciate the tiny rebellion. He debated putting on the jacket, feeling enough like himself around the urchin and her mother (and he doubted that anyone was awake at this time in the morning, so he felt like he could get away with what his mother would call ‘half dressed’) that he felt like he didn’t need it. </p>
<p>“Ready?” Trixie whispered, sticking her head back in the door. </p>
<p>“You don’t need your shoes, love,” he told her. She grinned at him and took off her shoes, leaving them haphazardly on the ground, but he cleared her throat and she sighed, righting them, and setting them neatly next to his. “Alright, let’s go see what we have in the kitchen, shall we?” he said, but he made the mistake of not putting his hands in his pockets.</p>
<p>She grabbed three of his fingers and he sighed. At least she wasn’t sticky. They started down the hall, and Trixie was silent for a moment before asking, “Do you think we can have pancakes?”</p>
<p>“If there are the right ingredients, but wouldn’t you rather have waffles?” he asked, trying to tempt her with her favorite breakfast food of all time. </p>
<p>“You can make waffles here?” she gasped. </p>
<p>Lucifer just laughed softly and led her to the kitchen. It was unoccupied and Lucifer sighed in relief. He didn’t know if he had the energy to deal with any of his family at the moment. “Here we are, little love,” he said, picking her up and placing her on the counter. She liked to ‘help’ him make breakfast on the days he would be over at the Detective’s. He spent a few minutes finding all of the ingredients and once he had them gathered, he had the urchin start on mixing the waffle batter. He started cooking the sausage and eggs with the urchin talking to him about school and her friends and the cool knife trick that Maze taught her, when she suddenly went very silent. He felt eyes on him and turned, seeing his father looking between the two of them with cold eyes. “Good morning, Dad,” he offered, trying not to growl at the older man. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” he said. He looked to the little girl and Lucifer had to stop himself from moving to stand in front of her. “Beatrice,” he said in the same tone. </p>
<p>“G-good morning,” she stuttered, much more subdued that she had been all morning. </p>
<p>“Your mother has <em>people</em> for this sort of thing, Lucifer,” Archibald said, voice flat as he came up beside the little girl and started to fill the coffee maker with grounds. </p>
<p>Lucifer tried his best not to pick up the urchin and hold her protectively away from his father, but it was tempting. She reached over and clutched at his sleeve, like she was looking for reassurance. He switched hands with the spatula, so that he could put a hand on her cheek, something he’d never done before. “How does your waffle batter look, little love?” he asked, drawing her attention to him, instead of his father. </p>
<p>“Um, it looks good! It looks like yours does when we make waffles at home,” she told him, showing him how it looked by bringing the bowl into her lap and stirring it a few times. </p>
<p>He offered her one of his soft smirks he usually saved for her and her mother, “Very good, urchin. We’ll make a chef out of you soon enough.”</p>
<p>He heard a familiar scoff from behind him, the one his father liked to give him when he said he’d do something, that he’d show them what he could be, and he hoped that Beatrice had been too preoccupied to care. It seemed that she was, because she kept talking to him about if she had to be anything other than the President of Mars, she thought that she could be a chef. Lucifer tried not to chuckle, perhaps one day the urchin <em>would</em> be the President of Mars. “Do you think I could do it, Lucifer?” she asked as he helped her pour the batter into the machine. </p>
<p>“What? Be a chef or the President of Mars?” he asked. </p>
<p>“Be a chef, silly,” she sighed, “You can cook all sorts of things and you’re not a chef, so do you think I can be one?”</p>
<p>Lucifer thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not, love. If you’d like to be one, I say go for it,” he told her. </p>
<p>“If you’re so good at cooking, why didn’t you want to be a chef?” she asked him.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t something I ever thought of being,” he told her, putting eggs and sausage on her plate along with a waffle. He found the syrup and poured it over the waffle for her, knowing that his father would have something to say about it if he let her have free reign. He didn’t want to sit her at the table with his father, not by herself, so he made his own plate as well. He put her on the ground and then handed her the plate he’d made for her. “Careful not to spill, little urchin,” he told her quietly. They sat at the kitchen table, a little farther from Archibald Godson than they would have with Rae-Rae or Raziel. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, can I have some orange juice?” Trixie asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer started to get up when his father snapped harshly, “We have manners in this house, perhaps you should use them.”</p>
<p>“You will not speak to her that way!” Lucifer spat, standing and slamming his hand down on the table. “She’s being plenty polite, father.” This time Lucifer couldn’t stop the growl in his voice. He and his father stared at each other for a tense moment, and then Archibald stood and walked out of the room. Lucifer deflated slowly with a long sigh, though he knew that that didn’t mean it was over, far from it. “I’ll get you your juice, little love,” he told the little girl who was looking at her plate, he bottom lip wobbling. He placed it near her, but she didn’t look up, or even move. She didn’t move even as he sat down. “Beatrice?” he asked, trying to see her face.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she managed, her voice thick. </p>
<p>“No, little love,” Lucifer rushed to reassure her, but he wasn’t sure what to do next. He placed a hand on her shoulder and suddenly had an armful of Beatrice Decker. “It’s alright, love, really,” he tried. “That’s… I told you he was very mean, urchin, but I… You didn’t do anything wrong.”</p>
<p>“B-but he s-said I-” she tried to say, but Lucifer cut her off with a soft sound.</p>
<p>“Shh, little love, he was the one that was wrong, I promise,” he said softly. He continued to hush her until she was barely sniffling, and then they pulled back from one another. “There we are,” he said, grabbing a napkin (that was probably more of a decoration than a functional napkin), he helped the urchin wipe her nose (he thought about trying to wipe off his vest, but then he thought better of it, there was snot on that napkin already, he wouldn’t want to get even more on his vest). They pulled back from one another, Lucifer smoothing her hair back from her face as she sniffled at him. “He’s the one that did something wrong, urchin, I promise…” Lucifer sighed.</p>
<p>There was a moment of quiet between them, and then she hugged him again. “You can yell really loud,” she told him.</p>
<p>Lucifer paused for a moment. Was… was he the one that scared the urchin? “Did I scare you, little love?” he asked, tentative. He knew that he could get… emotional sometimes, but he’d never… he was fond of the urchin, and he’d hate to have her be scared of him. He could almost remember what it was like to be scared of adults at her age.</p>
<p>“Your dad is scary,” she managed, her face screwing up and tears filling her eyes. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed heavily. He knew bringing the urchin had been a bad idea. “He’s always been scary,” Lucifer told her softly. He hugged her tightly for a moment. “I didn’t mean to scare you, little love, I promise… I’m sorry for…” They were quiet for a long moment as she finally stopped crying. Lucifer was just starting to wonder how long he should hug the urchin when her stomach growled and she pulled back from him, wiping at her face. “Alright?” he asked, wiping at her tear tracks with his thumbs. </p>
<p>She nodded, “Really hungry, too…”</p>
<p>“Good,” he chuckled. “Eat, darling, and then we’ll bring a plate to your mother.”</p>
<p>She sighed and climbed back into her seat. She looked at the orange juice and slowly reached for the glass, glancing at him to make sure it was okay. He just nodded at her with a small, reassuring smile. They ate their breakfast, the quiet forming around them in comfort instead of tension like it had when his father had been in the room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! less adorable than chapter 4, but necessary to get to chapter 6, which, might be even more adorable than chapter 4.............</p>
<p>enjoy, guys!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once they were done, Lucifer and Beatrice loaded a tray with a big breakfast and carried it back to the room he and the Detective had shared. She was just starting to wake when they opened the door. “Mommy!” the little urchin cheered. </p>
<p>“Hey, Monkey,” Chloe yawned. Her eyes shifted to Lucifer who was holding the tray. “You guys made me breakfast?” she asked, eyes smiling and face surprised.</p>
<p>“We ate downstairs in the kitchen!” Beatrice said, bright as ever. “Lucifer was right, his dad is really, really mean!” Here she pouted, and Lucifer couldn’t meet Chloe’s eyes as he put the tray in front of her. </p>
<p>“Was he mean to you and Lucifer?” she asked, holding her arms out to her daughter for a hug. She patted the bed beside her so that Lucifer would sit. He did, but he still wouldn’t look at her. </p>
<p>“I asked Lucifer if I could have orange juice and then his dad told me to use my manners, but he was really mean about it…” Trixie sighed a frown on her face. “Lucifer yelled at him…”</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to scare you, Beatrice,” Lucifer said, looking off toward the headboard. “I…”</p>
<p>“You didn’t scare me,” she said simply, and Lucifer looked up in shock. “Your dad scared me a lot, but you made it better and told him to stop.” There was a pause between the three of them. “Aren’t you going to eat your waffle, Mommy? I helped Lucifer make them!”</p>
<p>The little girl continued to talk at them, Chloe was paying more attention than he was, but Chloe did keep catching his eye and offering him a smile. He could only offer the smallest one back. Lucifer ran the tray back down to the kitchen, he had been on his way to clean the dishes, but they were already done, and the kitchen staff was working on breakfast for the rest of the house. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, where are your shoes? And your jacket? You look like a vagrant!” his mother shouted from behind him. “And what’s this I heard about you talking back to your father?”</p>
<p>“Good morning, Mother,” he sighed. </p>
<p>“Well?” she asked, crossing her arms. </p>
<p>“He tried to discipline the urchin,” Lucifer growled. “I won’t hesitate to rip him to shreds if he tires it again.”</p>
<p>Charlotte raised her brows at him. “He said that she-”</p>
<p>“I don’t bloody <em>care</em> what he said,” Lucifer scoffed. “If he knows what good for him, he won’t even look at her again!” He set the dishes next to the sink and tried to fill it with water before one of the kitchen staff took the dishes off his hands. He brushed past his mother and stormed all the way back upstairs. He paused outside of his and the Detective’s door trying to let go of the anger he felt. He listened to Chloe and Beatrice talk to each other, their soft, familiar laughter was exactly what he needed at a time like this. </p>
<p>“They keep you over in the south wing too, Lucifer?” he heard Raphael behind him. </p>
<p>Lucifer smirked, “It’s where they’ve always hidden the things their most ashamed of. Which means my childhood bedroom should still be around here somewhere.”</p>
<p>Raphael gave him a look. “It’s that one right there,” he said, pointing to the door next to Lucifer. </p>
<p>The urchin had been… she was sleeping in his old bedroom. He wondered if that loose floorboard was still there. He remembered that he kept a few things hidden from his mother and father in the floorboards. He smirked and entered the room. He could hear the Detective and Beatrice clearly through the open door but he didn’t really listen to what they were saying, and he felt Raphael follow him into the room. He almost walked past it, but he heard the familiar creek of it before he passed. “There we are,” he muttered to himself and then he knelt down and popped it up in a practiced motion. He pulled out a large bundle and frowned in confusion for a moment before his mind cleared. This was… it had belonged to Uriel…</p>
<p>“What’s that?” Raphael asked, crouching next to him. </p>
<p>“Its…  it was Uriel’s favorite blanket… Dad tried to make Mum throw it out…” he said. He clutched it tightly in his hands. It couldn’t have been anything fun, could it? But then… he wouldn’t have had to hide anything like that. His parents had stopped caring about his recreational activities after he’d been sent to boarding school. It was like he had been left to parent himself and no one would help him (he’d had to make every choice himself, and it had been scary. He was just a child and he had been expected to act like an adult at five years old…). The first two summer holidays were spent at the school, but his mother had wanted him home for the summer after he’d turned eight. It had been the first time he’d come back to look at the blanket. He’d been terrified that it… well, he’d thought for a few years that Uriel was haunting him, but that had been… it had been a delusion, one he had for a moment while partnered with the Detective. How he’d managed not to mention a word to anyone at the crime scene, he’d never know, but he’d been terrified of backtracking to when he was younger, to feeling that helpless again… He knew that the Detective had known something was wrong, but he hadn’t told her (but the urchin… she’d known… one night, the night Chloe had been poisoned, after he had paid the officer guarding the door to Professor Carlisle’s hospital room and woke the dying man to get the information that Daniel and Miss Lopez couldn’t, in a way they would never consider… But him? he’d done worse to smaller people in his London days, but that night… she’d seen him talking to the air… so she… she knew… but not the Detective). She knew about Uriel now, but… would she accept him after knowing...?</p>
<p>“Lucifer?” Raphael asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. </p>
<p>Lucifer stood still clutching the blanket and breaking away from the contact with his brother. “Yes, I… I apologize, brother, I…” he started. </p>
<p>“You know…” Raphael started, putting his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders. “It wasn’t your fault… his death, I mean…” </p>
<p>“Raphael,” Lucifer sighed, but he had no idea what he was trying to say. </p>
<p>“No, really, Lu,” he said, placing a hand on his arm. “I’ve… I’ve started going to a therapist and he’s really helpful! I told him about our family, about… well, about you and Uriel and he… well, he was horrified. No one should have blamed you for that… and Mother and Father shouldn’t have left you to watch him in the first place.”</p>
<p>Lucifer blinked. “You have a therapist too?” he asked. </p>
<p>Raphael laughed and shook his head. “Lucifer…” he sighed. </p>
<p>“No, Raph, I… Sometimes I forget that you got out as well…” Lucifer looked over at the door to his and the Detective’s room. It was suspiciously quiet, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry at them for listening. “I should go and check on the Detective and her spawn…”</p>
<p>“Okay, Lu,” Raphael sighed. “Go and be with them. I’m sure you need them like they need you…”  And then he clasped Lucifer’s shoulder and left the room as quietly as he’d entered. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed and walked through the door to his room with the Detective. Chloe and the urchin were talking softly as they sat on the side of the bed. Chloe was already dressed and this time she and the urchin had their shoes on. He offered them a barely-there smile and placed the blanket on the dresser next to the door. “Ready to go downstairs, then?” he asked. “Mother will definitely… She’ll not be very nice this morning, that’s my fault, but I’ll try to keep us away from her. She doesn’t really like to hang around Raziel, she could always see through her, so we could hang around her for a while.”</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Chloe said, her voice stilling him like her hands usually would (and there they were, resting between his shoulder blades, radiating warmth and comfort). “Are you okay?” she asked him, her voice quiet enough so that Beatrice wouldn’t hear.</p>
<p>“I’ll… it’s not important, darling, but we’d better get downstairs before we’re summoned,” he sighed. He was pulling on his shoes when he saw the urchin grab the blanket he’d placed on the dresser. He had to stop himself from rushing over and snatching it from her. “Beatrice, darling, don’t…”</p>
<p>“What’s this?” she asked, rubbing the soft material between her fingers. </p>
<p>His face twitched, and Chloe was already trying to take it out of her hands. “It’s…” he started, “I… my brother’s…”</p>
<p>“Trixie, baby,” Chloe placed the blanket back on the dresser, “Don’t ask Lucifer about that okay? It’s not-”</p>
<p>“Uriel,” Lucifer cut her off. “He was…” He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “We really should get downstairs,” he managed. </p>
<p>Beatrice looked up at him with a frown. “Are you okay, Lucifer?” she asked, her head tilted to the side. He knew she was thinking about that night, the one she’d watched him talk to a ghost. It had brought them closer. </p>
<p>(Well, his trying to escape his mother’s constant calls for the entire year he’d been seeing Uriel, and all the time he’d spent at the Detective’s apartment [the only place Uriel was kind enough not to invade until Chloe’s poisoning] had brought them closer. He started spending more and more time there, and Beatrice and Maze had always been there, so when Maze got tired of the urchin she had been foisted off on him and well, there was a reason the Detective gave him a designated shoe cubby right next to Beatrice’s [she’d asked her mother when Lucifer was going to get a shoe cubby because he always left his under the coffee table and then after they’d argued for a while, she’d asked her mother if her cubby could be between Chloe’s and Lucifer’s which, for some reason, made Chloe smile a smile so beautiful that he found himself agreeing to whatever the urchin had wished, though he had been fighting hard for the space next to Chloe’s before she’d intervened]. He’d watched more Disney movies than he ever thought he would, but he and the urchin were closer because of those days…).</p>
<p>Lucifer stared at her for a long moment and then stood and walked to the door. “Come along, little love,” he said, not looking at her, “let’s go and see if Rae-Rae is awake.”</p>
<p>“Did everyone else have breakfast?” she asked, grabbing his hand. He tried to shake her hand off of his, but she was holding on tight. Lucifer huffed and gave the Detective a look, but she was just watching them with a small smile. </p>
<p>“I wouldn’t know, urchin,” he told her. “But my mother had the staff working on it when I was down there.”</p>
<p>Trixie looked up at him as the three of them walked down the large flight of stairs that led to the south wing of the house. “If there’s people that make breakfast, why did we have to make our own breakfast?” she asked him.</p>
<p>“I make better breakfast than they do, love,” Lucifer smirked with a smug smile. Chloe elbowed him in the side. He raised a brow at her as the urchin giggled. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” a weaselly voice called from the bottom of the stairs. </p>
<p>“Michael,” Lucifer replied. His voice was colder than it normally would be, and he felt Chloe’s hand tighten in his for a moment. </p>
<p>“You know, I thought father would’ve asked me to throw you out the door by now,” Michael smirked. </p>
<p>Lucifer scoffed with a shake of his head and walked past Michael without another word. He would have loved to say something back, but he’d promised the Detective a while ago that he would try not to curse in front of the child. </p>
<p>“Nothing to say, Sammy?” Michael chuckled.</p>
<p>Lucifer let go of the urchin’s hand and spun on his heel with a deep growl. “Don’t,” he bit out.</p>
<p>“Aww, is little Sammy getting upset?” his brother smirked.</p>
<p>Michael tried to dip out of the way, but Lucifer grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him in close. Lucifer’s lips parted in a snarl and Michael tried to push him off but couldn’t quite manage it. “You will not call me that ever again,” he growled, “and you wouldn’t be able to get me past the first doorway no matter how hard you tried, you wanker!”</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” Amenadiel shouted from the doorway of the dining room. </p>
<p>“What!” Lucifer snapped, still growling in Michael’s face, enjoying how his brother flinched away from him.</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Chloe said, putting her hand on his arm. He let out a harsh sigh and pushed Michael away from him. Chloe pulled at him until he followed her to Amenadiel who was standing near the urchin. He almost growled at him too, until he remembered himself. Amenadiel had never called him the wrong name on purpose, not like his other brothers did. He wanted to apologize to Chloe for his outburst, but he couldn’t quite find the words. “Thanks, Amenadiel,” Chloe said, dropping his arm and picking up the child. Lucifer couldn’t look at either of them because he… he wasn’t usually violent around the child, but that name just… it made him angry.</p>
<p>“Is he gonna be mean to you anymore, Lucifer?” the little girl asked him grabbing his arm and pulling him along as her mother carried her toward Rae-Rae, Razzie, and Raphael. </p>
<p>He gaped at her. She’d just seen him… and she was only worried about what was going to happen to him… “Probably, little love,” Lucifer sighed. </p>
<p>“I don’t like him,” she said in a loud whisper. Lucifer and Chloe met each other’s eyes as Raphael, Raziel, and Rae-Rae chuckled quietly amongst each other. </p>
<p>Lucifer smirked. He opened his mouth to tell her that no one really did like Michael very much, but Chloe gave him a look and his mother interrupted him before he could speak. “Oh, good you’re dressed. <em>Mostly</em>. Are you joining us for breakfast?” she asked, indicating the table. </p>
<p>Lucifer’s father looked up at them briefly. “They’ve already eaten,” he said pointedly. </p>
<p>“Archibald, they can still join us at the table,” Charlotte sighed. She was in a kinder mood than she had been the last time he’d been downstairs (which was suspicious).</p>
<p>Lucifer held out the chairs for both Chloe and the urchin. Automatically, he poured the Detective a cup of coffee and doctored it for her. She thanked him and smiled. “So, Chloe, what is it that you do?” Archibald asked out of nowhere. </p>
<p>“I’m a Detective with the LAPD,” she replied. “Lucifer is my partner, the best partner I’ve ever had.” She smiled at him and he had to stop himself from preening. </p>
<p>“Lucifer’s never been good at anything in his life, let alone the best,” Gabriel quipped, making most of the table laugh. </p>
<p>“Then I guess you don’t know him like you think you do,” Chloe said. She was using her work voice, the one that brokered no arguments and made even him fall into line. Gabriel looked down at his plate like he’d done something wrong and Lucifer couldn’t help the wave of intense affection that he felt towards Chloe. He hadn’t known she would… he thought that she would just let them… Sometimes he forgot that she was special, that she… that she cared about him…</p>
<p>“Are you sure <em>you</em> know him?” Remiel asked, glaring at him. “He’s promiscuous.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure,” she replied. “He’s never lied to me about anything and I don’t care who he’s slept with.” Then she looked Remiel in the eye until the other woman looked away and while Lucifer was glad she never wavered in front of his family; he was a little worried about her being in the same room as his father. Especially if his father was going to try to get her in a room without him there (which Lucifer knew he wanted to do, could see the expression on his face). </p>
<p>“Enough of that,” Charlotte cut the tension in the room. “We’re all going to a party tonight, the Queen’s invited us to their Holiday Party. The new Mrs. Queen is Jewish.”</p>
<p>“Mom, that’s on the other side of town!” Gabriel whined.</p>
<p>“Your brother lives on the other side of the country and <em>he</em> made it to our house, I think we can all travel across town,” she replied, eyebrow raised and ready to chastise him again if need be. </p>
<p>Raphael smirked and Lucifer had to clear his throat so he wouldn’t laugh at his brother. Lucifer let the room start to converse around them, and then noticed the urchin looking a little bored like he used to on his holidays home from school. He was starting to feel a little bored himself and he wished he could do something for her. He knew what it was like to have no toys to play with while his older siblings and parents talked. “Beatrice, love, would you like something to drink?” he asked. She looked up at him and then glanced over at his father, who was watching them closely. “Little love,” he called her attention back to him and gave her a reassuring smile. </p>
<p>“Yes, please,” she said, she was still a little shy around his family. He hoped that it wouldn’t be like that for long, at least not around Raphael, Rae-Rae, and Raziel. He poured some juice, ignoring the fact that his father was watching him like a hawk. He was about to place it in front of her when he noticed her standing next to him. He blinked down at her. “Can I sit on your lap?” she asked. </p>
<p>He saw Chloe smile at her out of the corner of his eye. “Baby, you know how Lucifer is,” Chloe sounded like she was trying not to laugh. Trixie giggled, covering her mouth.</p>
<p>Lucifer scoffed and placed the juice down next to his plate. “Only this once, urchin,” he told her, picking her up. “But only because you’ve already soiled my waistcoat!” he sighed heavily, but there was no real heat behind it. </p>
<p>“You’re silly, Lucifer,” she told him with a giggle, and then she started drinking her juice. Lucifer tilted his head in question at the Detective when she just smiled at the two of them. </p>
<p>“How was the drive, Luci?” Amenadiel asked in the silence that followed. </p>
<p>“Long,” he replied. “You should know, brother, we live in the same city…”</p>
<p>Amenadiel sighed, long suffering, like <em>he</em> was the one that was an idiot. “Lucifer.” </p>
<p>“You don’t have to imitate father, he’s right there,” Lucifer replied with a proud smirk. </p>
<p>“Samael, that’s enough!” his father boomed causing Lucifer and the urchin to flinch. </p>
<p>The room fell silent. “That’s not my name,” Lucifer growled. “<em>You</em> changed my name when you sent me off to school, why would you call me anything else but what you made me?!”</p>
<p>“Because I am your Father, and you still have your wings!” Archibald slammed a fist down on the table and Lucifer flinched again. He was the only one that did. </p>
<p>“No,” Lucifer replied, much softer but just as angry. “Not anymore.”</p>
<p>“Tattoo removal doesn’t work that fast, not on big ones,” Gabriel scoffed. He had some experience (more than a few bad choices in his youth, he’d told them all years ago).</p>
<p>Lucifer was quiet for a long moment. Chloe put her hand on his arm and Trixie had curled towards him as soon as his father had started yelling. He placed a gentling hand on the back of her head. “There are other ways to get rid of tattoos,” Lucifer growled, and then he stood, taking the urchin with him. </p>
<p>“What did you do?” his father demanded, standing from his chair. He sounded angry and Lucifer knew that he hated that he’d lost one of his ‘collection’. </p>
<p>“You’d love to know, wouldn’t you,” was all he said, and then he left the room with Chloe by his side and the urchin in his arms. The rest of the room was deadly silent. No one but him had ever dared speak out against Archibald Godson, not even Raziel who refused to take anything from anyone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HAPPY CHRYSLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! </p>
<p>who's ready for some fluff???? some cuddles????? some family bonding??????????</p>
<p>hope you guys had a good holiday this year!!!!!! enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucifer stopped in the hall, trying to think about where to go next. He had the urchin and Chloe with him, so he couldn’t exactly leave without packing like he usually did. They would need to pack, but he… he’d barely spent any time with Rae-Rae and he <em>had</em> missed her, had promised to spend time with her… </p>
<p>“Lucifer?” Chloe whispered, her hand coming to rest between his shoulder blades like it always did. </p>
<p>He sighed heavily, “Let’s… we’ll go to the gardens, darling, I just… I need to…” He let out a bitter chuckle and turned towards the back of the house. Once they were out the doors and in the garden, Lucifer relaxed just a bit. “I <em>am</em> sorry, Chloe… I… if I had known it would be like this, I <em>never</em> would have… Neither of you should be here, darling, and I’m… it’s my fault! You can take the car, Detective, bring the urchin home and I’ll stay and spend some time with Rae-Rae an-”</p>
<p>Chloe cut him off with a gentle hand to his cheek. “We’re not going to leave you here alone,” she told him. All the tension drained out of him at her touch, at her words. “We’ll all just… stay away from your dad for the rest of the trip,” she said. She was using her bossy work voice, which he always enjoyed (he liked it because she was so… domineering when she was telling the officers and him what to do).</p>
<p>“He’s not nice at all,” Beatrice sighed moodily from his shoulder. </p>
<p>Lucifer’s face screwed up and he held the urchin as tight as he dared. He tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t help but let out a single strangled sob at her words. “I’m sorry, little love,” he sighed. He started rubbing her back, something he’d been doing a lot since morning. “I didn’t think… it’s usually only me that he…” he sighed, shaking his head. It hadn’t been her this time, but it had been this morning and it might be again. He looked out towards the flowers and perfectly manicured bushes. “Neither of you should be here,” was all he could think to say. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, babe, it’s okay,” Chloe told him. “What if we spent the day out of the house and came back in time to go to that party?” She crowded him, almost leaning her head against the shoulder that the urchin wasn’t occupying. </p>
<p>“We could,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “No one will miss us, really… and we could…” He trailed off because he wasn’t sure she would want to be around any of his family after the scene in the dining room.</p>
<p>“What?” she asked, placing her hand on his face again, stroking his cheek with her thumb. He couldn’t help nuzzling his face as close as he could to her palm. It made her laugh and he was relieved that she wasn’t mad at him. “Lucifer,” she laughed on a sigh.</p>
<p>“If it’s alright, darling, perhaps we could bring Rae-Rae and Raziel with us?” he couldn’t meet her eyes as he asked, though it was something he’d normally not have a problem with. </p>
<p>She was silent for a moment and he looked at her then. Her brow was furrowed, and he was about to apologize for asking when she spoke, “Of course we can… Why would you… why did you think you couldn’t invite them?”</p>
<p>Lucifer shook his head. “I thought that… I thought that you might not want to be around any of my family at the moment,” he looked away from her again, but he didn’t move too much because he didn’t want her to drop her hand from where she was stroking his cheek. </p>
<p>“Rae-Rae and Raziel are much different than the rest of your family. Raphael, too,” she offered. She pulled her hand away and he whined involuntarily. She sighed, but she was smiling just a little as she leaned against his side. </p>
<p>“There is an ice-skating rink that we used to go to sometimes,” he offered when Chloe was silent for a long moment. “Or there was, I… it’s been a long time since I’ve… decided to stay for Christmas.”</p>
<p>“I like ice-skating,” the urchin said from his shoulder. Her voice was happier than it had been, but she was refusing to let go of his neck. He usually wouldn’t let her cling to him like this, but… Well, the urchin had been… she was… his father was just… He couldn’t quite figure <em>why</em> he was letting the urchin cling to him, but he was. He had a phone appointment with Doctor Martin later that day, perhaps she would be able to tell him why…</p>
<p>They spent a few more moments in the calmness of the garden, Beatrice finally letting go of his neck to spend a few moments trying to catch a butterfly. Chloe was watching her daughter with a small smile. “You never really got to be here, did you?” she asked. </p>
<p>“Not too much, no…” he sighed. He watched the urchin play for a moment, but it didn’t make him smile. He thought that perhaps it was because he had never been allowed to play there himself. “We should… I should go find Azrael, ask her if she’d like to go with us…”</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Chloe slipped her hand into his. “We can stay out here as long as you need…”</p>
<p>Lucifer leaned his forehead against Chloe’s and just breathed for a long moment. She gave him so much peace even when he was at his most stressed. He heard the doors open to their left but ignored whoever it was so that he could pull her closer. Her other hand came up and wound its way into the short hair at the back of his head. </p>
<p>“That was the most awkward breakfast since that one when I was fifteen,” Raziel sighed. </p>
<p>“Lucifer’s always present for the weird ones, isn’t he?” Rae-Rae asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer’s shoulders slumped a little. He had been hoping to get a few more moments with the Detective, but it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to get them. “Razzie, Rae-Rae,” he sighed, but he didn’t turn to look at his sisters. Instead, he cupped Chloe’s cheek and gazed into her eyes until she smiled and covered her hand with his. </p>
<p>“Has Lucifer ever been like this with anyone ever?” Rae-Rae whispered at her sister, but loud enough for both Chloe and Lucifer to hear. </p>
<p>Chloe smirked up at him. “He’s like this all of the time,” she said with a grin.</p>
<p>His two siblings gushed at them and Lucifer rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to reply but the urchin beat him to it. “Not all the time! Sometimes he’s just silly,” she sighed, coming up to the group and hanging off of his leg. </p>
<p>“He’s always been silly,” Razzie told the little girl with a laugh. </p>
<p>“Razzie!” Lucifer growled. </p>
<p>“What?! It’s true!”</p>
<p>“I suppose this means that you’d rather not go ice-skating with us,” he sighed melodramatically. </p>
<p>Both Razzie and Rae-Rae both gasped. “You’re going ice-skating?!” Rae-Rae demanded. “We want to go!”</p>
<p>“Come on, Lucifer!” Razzie begged with a pout, “we’re your sisters!” </p>
<p>“And that’s supposed to mean something?” he asked, trying very hard not to smirk and let his sisters know that that had been the plan since the beginning. He started back towards the doors, pulling Chloe and the urchin along with him, but only because they were both hanging off of him. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, come on!” Razzie whined. “You <em>have</em> to let us come with you!” </p>
<p>“Please, Lu?” Rae-Rae pouted at him just like she used to when she was a child. </p>
<p>They paused just before the front door, and Lucifer raised his brows at his sisters. “If one of you could be so kind as to ask Raphael to join us,” he pushed with a pointed tip of his head. The two young women hurried off just as they would when they were younger. Lucifer chuckled and then his smile wilted a bit. </p>
<p>Chloe crowded him again and placed her hand on his face again. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked. </p>
<p>“Darling,” he sighed, holding her hand to his face. He didn’t want to answer that question, but he didn’t want to be dishonest with her. He butted his forehead against hers and hoped that soon, he would get a moment with her, just to heal the newest damage on his soul. </p>
<p>“Okay,” she sighed. She wrapped her arms around his middle and then he was surprised when Beatrice wrapped her arms around both of their legs. They stood there until they heard the bickering of his sisters and Raphael. </p>
<p>Lucifer pulled back feeling rather like he would prefer not to. “Are we ready then?” he sighed in annoyance, but everyone could tell he didn’t mean it. He made them all pile into the back of the car, Rae-Rae holding the urchin in her lap even though that seemed to make Chloe nervous. He just held her hand and tried to keep her attention on him. He was stroking her knuckles and playing gently with her fingers. She would be with him one moment and then in the next she was anxiously looking back to check on her daughter (she was fine when there were enough seatbelts, but this time there weren’t and she <em>was</em> a police officer).</p>
<p>Once they were out of the car, Chloe relaxed. Trixie had warmed up to both Razzie and Rae-Rae on the ride, and she was dragging them toward the rink. Lucifer kept an eye on her anyway, not because he was <em>worried</em> but because he was concerned about her after his father had yelled at her. She had the Detective as a mother so she would be strong, but he just wanted to be sure. He kept a hand on the Detective’s lower back, leading her after his sisters. </p>
<p>Raphael came up beside them, chuckling. “They’ll never change,” he sighed. “We haven’t been here in years and here they are, just as excited about it as when they were Trixie’s age…”</p>
<p>Chloe laughed. “I hope that Trixie will stay like this for a little longer,” she sighed. Lucifer knew that she was thinking about the Malcolm situation. He knew that the urchin sometimes had nightmares and was now more wary of people that she didn’t know. The nightmares hadn’t really been a problem lately, but Lucifer was a little worried that his father’s… presence would bring them back (he’d hate to cause the Detective undue stress). He really needed to call Linda, but his appointment wasn’t until much later in the day. </p>
<p>“Is there any reason she might not?” Raphael asked, and Lucifer bristled on instinct. He wasn’t used to his family being nice and though Raphael had gotten away from their family like he had, he wasn’t sure that he trusted him. He must have made a noise, or they had seen his reaction because Raphael’s brows went up and Chloe turned towards him to place a hand on his chest. He cleared his throat and looked down in silent apology. </p>
<p>Chloe turned from him and they spent a moment in silence before Chloe said, “She was… there was an incident a few years back. Lucifer saved us but he got… hurt badly…”</p>
<p>“I’m alright now, my darling,” he murmured to her, placing a kiss to her temple. </p>
<p>She tucked in closer to his side like she was reassuring herself that he was alright. It was something he had always had to stop himself from doing whenever anyone mentioned her poisoning… it made him think about how she would look at him whenever he’d done something reckless to save her… They had to seem like they were dating, so Lucifer did what he had always wanted to in situations like that and pulled her even closer. “Trixie saw, but we didn’t know until after he was out of the hospital…” she said softly. </p>
<p>Raphael gaped at them. “How hurt?” he demanded, and it was similar to when Miss Lopez would frown at him whenever they returned from an arrest and he was sporting a bandage or a limp.</p>
<p>“Gut shot, he almost bled out,” she shook her head with a deep frown. She waved her hand as if to wave the image away from her face.</p>
<p>“Any lasting damage?” Raphael asked Lucifer. </p>
<p>Lucifer scoffed. “They’ve already started calling you Doctor Godson, have they?” he smirked. </p>
<p>“Lu, come on! We all have to get our skates at the same time!” Rae-Rae interrupted. Lucifer sighed in relief and left the Detective with his brother as he made his way to the front of the pack. He paid, and he hoped that the Detective would leave a few of his secrets out of her answer to his brother. He trusted her, but this was his family and anything any one of them knew was almost always used against him. It was why he never really came to visit the family home. He knew that Amenadiel would tell their father anything he wished to know about him, which was why Amenadiel hadn’t been surprised that Lucifer hadn’t said anything about him dating the Detective. </p>
<p>The urchin hadn’t wanted anyone but him to help her with her skates, so he laced hers first and once she was set to go on the ice with Razzie and Rae-Rae, he let her. Though, he did make her tell her mother where she would be while she laced up her own skates. She was having a bit of trouble, so he knelt down in front of her to help her too. His fingers brushed hers out of the way and she let him take over for her. He wasn’t looking at her, but he could feel her eyes on him. Their weight was comforting. </p>
<p>He pulled on his quickly, not giving the Detective a chance to return the favor (he hadn’t known that she wanted to, hadn’t known that she would treat him like he treated her, if only he would give her the chance). Once they were out on the ice (in the center of the rink, there was a giant tree, decorated in gaudy colors and baubles and it made Lucifer want to redesign the entire thing, but Chloe just told him to get over it. He supposed he would have to, not everyone could have his impeccable sense of style), it was actually the most fun that Lucifer had ever had while ice skating. He’d raced Raphael and Razzie and lost to the both of them, and Rae-Rae had been so close to beating Razzie while the urchin clung to him that they had a rematch at least four times before Raphael said that he would be a referee (even with him there, they still had to have three more races before Rae-Rae accepted that Razzie was the faster skater).</p>
<p>“Can you spin really fast like Rae-Rae?” Trixie asked him. She was concentrating on trying not to fall as she held both of their hands. </p>
<p>“No,” he told her. </p>
<p>“Really?” Chloe asked with a disbelieving laugh. “Not even a little? I thought that Lucifer Morningstar was a man of many skills…” </p>
<p>“Many skills, my darling,” he smirked, reaching for her as Trixie decided to join his sisters again. He pulled her to him and tried not to be surprised as she wound her arms around his neck, but this was Chloe and she… he had to remember that this wasn’t <em>real</em>, not like he wanted it to be. “But not of every skill.”</p>
<p>“Too much for even you to accomplish?” she wasn’t looking at him, not while she was blushing, but she seemed much too interested in fixing his hair and the collar of his shirt. </p>
<p>His arms went around her waist and he couldn’t help but pull her closer. “Nothing is too much for me,” he purred, “but…” </p>
<p>Chloe finally looked him in the eyes, and he saw her gentle, teasing smirk. “But?” she asked (and she just <em>knew</em> that he was about to say something about handfuls and that he’d love it if she were at least a few of them, handfuls, that was…)</p>
<p>“Can you two just find a room and make out already?” Razzie sighed in frustration as she skated past them.</p>
<p>“Razzie!” Lucifer growled, and then released Chloe to chase after his sister. He wasn’t the best skater, but he had long legs and soon enough he’d caught her. They thudded roughly into the side of the rink, and then Rae-Rae, Raphael, and Trixie decided to pile on as well. It had been a long time since Lucifer had had any sort of fun with his siblings. That being said, the moment he slipped and caused everyone to fall on top of him was what made Chloe and Trixie start laughing. </p>
<p>They each struggled to get up, but Lucifer just laid there for a moment. Trixie sat on his stomach and stared at him with crossed arms. “Beatrice,” he sighed. </p>
<p>“We need hot chocolate,” she told him. “With whipped cream.”</p>
<p>“At least you don’t want marshmallows,” he sighed heavily. Chloe plucked Trixie off of him and set her down while Lucifer struggled through standing up. </p>
<p>“Come here,” Chloe told him. She came up behind him and started brushing him off, though he didn’t know why. It was just ice, it would melt, though he appreciated the concern for his suit (even though the urchin had already ruined his waistcoat). </p>
<p>The three of them made for the sidelines, the little girl much more tired than she had been, and he whistled to catch the attention of his siblings. Raphael came up to him and Lucifer told them that they were going to get the child a snack. “Family time?” Raphael asked on a chuckle, clapping him on the shoulder. Lucifer just gaped at him for a moment, confused. He looked over at Chloe and Beatrice and watched as they helped each other with their skates, and then back at his brother feeling a little less certain about going with them. “Lucifer, you…” Raphael’s brow furrowed. “You <em>do</em> know that they think of you as family, don’t you?” </p>
<p>Lucifer shook his head and glanced back at his Detective and her daughter. “Well,” he huffed out on an embarrassed chuckle. He shook his head again and turned back to them. “I’ll see you later, brother. You three are on your own for hot chocolate,” he told him, turning away. </p>
<p>“Lu, come on, brother!” Raphael started on a bark of a laugh. “You’re the one that invited us!” </p>
<p>Lucifer just continued to walk away, meeting Chloe and Trixie in line at the concession stand. He would rather make them some from scratch, but this would have to do. Chloe practically tucked herself under his arm as soon as he joined them, which he didn’t mind (how could he? It was Chloe…). He ordered three cups of hot chocolate, all of them with whipped cream, while Trixie found a table big enough for the three of them under the watchful eyes of her mother. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, over here!” Trixie called for him as he looked for them. “Lucifer!” She was waving her arms wildly and Lucifer had to try very hard not to laugh at how eager she was. </p>
<p>“I see you, you little urchin!” he called back. The woman that was standing next to him, her own child’s hand clutched tightly in hers, scoffed and mumbled something about inappropriate names to call children. Lucifer just rolled his eyes and made his way to the Detective. They sat there for a while, just enjoying each other’s company and talking about everything and nothing. </p>
<p>“Will there be anyone for me to play with at the party?” the urchin asked, whipped cream covering her entire top lip. </p>
<p>Lucifer physically recoiled from the child and Chloe rolled her eyes at him. As she wiped her daughter’s face, Lucifer tried to answer her question. “Perhaps there will be, little love, they usually have a room for the children to gather in. If they’d like to, of course, it’s not mandatory. Or it wasn’t before.”</p>
<p>“It’s still not,” Rae-Rae told them, popping up behind them. “But it’s more fun in there than with the adults.”</p>
<p>“For some,” Lucifer said glaring at her. </p>
<p>“You didn’t like being in the kids room even when <em>you</em> were a kid,” Razzie scoffed. Lucifer rolled his eyes at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. He braced his hands on the table top and Razzie looked like she was about to start running until Chloe placed a hand on his arm. Lucifer just rolled his eyes and settled into his seat.</p>
<p>He huffed at her but didn’t move as Chloe left her hand on his wrist. “It was unbearable in there,” he said under his breath with a little more of a pout than he meant to. Chloe shook her head at him, trying to hide her smile and he sighed heavily.</p>
<p>Trixie leaned across the table and caught his eye, like she was trying to tell him something of great importance. It wasn’t but it made her mother take her phone out for a picture when she told him, whipped cream along her top lip <em>again</em>, “I don’t like to be in the kids’ rooms either, it’s always boring and there’s never anywhere fun to hide.” </p>
<p>“What should we do next?” Razzie asked. She had disappeared and come back with cups of hot chocolate and a funnel cake. </p>
<p>“I told you we should have ordered one,” Lucifer sighed, looking at Chloe with a raised brow as Beatrice, the little devil, pouted at him. </p>
<p>“She can have some of- Raphael!” Rae-Rae whined. Raphael had somehow already eaten almost half of the confection and was continuing to shove the rest in his mouth as Razzie and Rae-Rae tried to wrestle it away from him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So here we are again, Happy Day after Christmas everyone, I have finally put a pin in this fic, its finally 100% done and like hoo boy what a relief!!!!!!!</p>
<p>anyway, here we are, another day, another chapter! could this fic possibly hit anymore tropes??? enjoy ;)!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucifer sighed. “I’ll be right back, darling,” he told her, and then he got up and stood in line for the concession stand again. She couldn’t help smiling at his back. There was no tension in his shoulders, and he was happy here, with them. His siblings made him lighter, gave him a level of depth that she sometimes forgot he possessed. She had never seen him as an older brother, had only seen him with Amenadiel, and this version of him let her see a part of him that she usually wouldn’t get to. Like he felt responsible for them. </p>
<p>He came back with two funnel cakes and was praised for his efforts. Rae-Rae called him a hero and “the best big brother in the universe” but he brushed it off and shoved a ridiculously large piece of funnel cake into his mouth. </p>
<p>She was glad that she got to see this side of him. That he let her see all of the different sides of him. The big brother side that obviously loved his siblings. Speaking of siblings, she thought about Raziel and how she was always staring at them, how she probably suspected that they weren’t actually dating. Chloe had tried to make it look more like it, and it seemed, other than teasing them about kissing, she wasn’t challenging their relationship (though she had a feeling about that party they were going to be at that night, hopefully it was different than the parties her mom used to take her to when she was a kid and her dad had to work the night shift, and the decorations didn't consist solely of mistletoe). </p>
<p>It had been changing recently, their relationship. This trip was allowing them the opportunity to explore the growing closeness between them, and Chloe liked it. She could tell that Lucifer did as well, but he was distracted by everything in that house, by the people he was supposed to call family. Maybe his siblings were enjoying seeing a different side to him like she was? She didn’t think that any of his siblings had ever thought about Lucifer spending any sort of time with a child or that he would have something that could be considered a serious girlfriend. She had been… well, she had never not seen him spend time with her daughter. When Trixie and Lucifer had first met, he made her bully cry by telling them there was a special place in hell for bullies. She had no idea what he’d said exactly, but Trixie hadn’t had any more problems with bullies since. </p>
<p>She wondered what he had been like when he was younger. She knew that he’d learned some… skills that weren’t quite above board in his youth, but she had never learned exactly what he’d done to learn those skills (just a vague description of the types of things she knew he’d learned. Among them: juggling, breaking into cars, hotwiring them, lockpicking, hypnotism of some sort (she was positive that’s what it was, but he just kept telling her that people have just always liked telling him things), and cooking literally anything perfectly). </p>
<p>She watched him as he argued good naturedly with his siblings. Trixie was looking between the four of them, grinning. She had never experienced such a large group of siblings before, and she seemed like she was having the time of her life. It made Chloe feel guilty about only having one child, but only for a moment. Lucifer seemed to sense her eyes on him because he looked up and gave her one of his smirks. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. </p>
<p>He slid closer to her on the bench seat they were sharing and nuzzled at the soft hairs at her temple with his nose. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder once he was back to arguing with Raziel about something that may or may not have happened the summer Lucifer had turned eighteen. Something about their mother’s car and a joyride resulting in a missing hubcap. </p>
<p>“It may have been a hubcap, Raz, but it certainly wasn’t gold plated. Mum would never allow it in the attached garage if it had been,” he sighed, and it rumbled through him. She liked how that felt. </p>
<p>He was right when he’d said that they were working her to the bone at the precinct. She was still feeling tired and she had slept most of the day before, even if it had been in the car, which was never restful. If she wasn’t in public, she would have fallen asleep on him (it’s something she’s done before… movie nights and, once, they had spent the night sitting on the couch in the precinct conference room watching surveillance footage and she had fallen asleep on his shoulder as he munched on popcorn that she’d made him get up and pop for her). She had never felt like that around anyone else, and seeing her daughter sleeping in his arms last night was just… it was good to see that her daughter trusted him as much as she did.</p>
<p> Lucifer’s hand came up and his fingers threaded through her hair. He held her head against his shoulder for a moment, resting his chin on her head. She hugged him around the middle and hid her blushing cheeks as she remembered how she had woken up that morning. Her face had been buried in his ribs and her arm had been wrapped around him. She had been warm though, and he hadn’t seemed like he minded (she might have heard him chuckle at her when she’d flipped over, but she couldn’t be too sure). She probably should have been paying attention to the stories that they were telling Trixie, but Lucifer’s fingers were massaging her scalp and it felt amazing. </p>
<p>She had no idea how long she spent there, just leaning against his shoulder, but after a few moments holding her like that, he seemed more settled than he had all day. She hoped that this would help him and was glad to see that it was (but more than anything, it was her head on his shoulder and her soft breaths against his neck that helped him much more than the day away from his parents’ house). Lucifer kissed her forehead as he called her name, and she hummed in answer. “We should head back, darling…” he told her. “Mum will expect us to get ready for the party soon.”</p>
<p>“It’s only-” </p>
<p>“These are those fancy Star City parties,” Rae-Rae cut her off. “We all have to do our hair and wear evening gowns and all that stuff.”</p>
<p>Chloe’s head snapped in Lucifer’s direction and she glared at him. “Lucifer,” she scolded.</p>
<p>“I told you it was all handled, Detective,” he smirked. </p>
<p>Razzie was staring between the two of them. “Why don’t you ever call her by her name?” she asked out of nowhere. She had probably been wanting to ask that question since she’d first seen them interact (she had a knack for collecting secrets).</p>
<p>Lucifer stared at his sister for a moment and then looked over at Chloe. “I… it’s a habit…” he said, weakly. </p>
<p>“That’s just how Lucifer is,” Chloe said, though she knew that it was something they were aware of, that he had a thing about names and titles. She looked up at him and smiled. “I like it…” </p>
<p>Lucifer’s cheeks pinked and he stood, setting Chloe on her feet as he stood. It was like he wanted to get as far from this conversation as he could be. “Yes, well,” he started, and pulled at his cufflinks, “we should head back before Mum starts calling us one by one and demanding we get home immediately.”</p>
<p>Lucifer’s mother called him as soon as they started driving and he rolled his eyes for Chloe as he spoke to her over the phone. Chloe shook her head and looked out of the window. She wasn’t sure what Lucifer had meant when he had said that he had everything covered for the party. She knew that he had somehow found out her measurements, but that was ages ago in the first year of their partnership. She just had no idea what he had for Trixie. She found out when he pulled off of the main street and parked. </p>
<p>“Where are we going?” Trixie asked, poking her head through the gap between the front seats. </p>
<p>“I’m picking up the dresses I’ve had made for you and your mother,” Lucifer told her. Chloe sighed heavily and Lucifer caught her hand as he parked the car. “Darling,” he sighed, and squeezed her hand so that she was looking at him. </p>
<p>“I know, but…” she sighed and then shook her head.</p>
<p>“What color is mine?” Trixie asked, leaning forwards again. </p>
<p>“Sort of a midnight blue to match your mother’s,” he told her with a smug smirk in Chloe’s direction. </p>
<p>“Mommy! We get to match!” she was smiling so hard that Chloe knew there was no way she could refuse the dress. Before she could say anything, Lucifer got out of the car and was back in a matter of moments with two garment bags, one smaller than the other. “Can we see?” Trixie asked. She was practically vibrating in her seat (which was actually Razzie’s lap this time).</p>
<p>“When we get back,” he sighed. And then he looked at Chloe like she was the reason her daughter was bothering him (he just made it so easy). </p>
<p>“At least you’ve learned not to say that it’s a surprise,” Chloe teased him. He glared at her and she just gave him a smile.</p>
<p>“If me and mommy match, how will you tell us apart?” Trixie asked. She was pouting at the garment bags that were hanging by Raphael, who was pouting about not being able to look out the window anymore.</p>
<p>“You’re shorter,” Lucifer told her. </p>
<p>She rolled her eyes, “Lucifer!”</p>
<p>“You <em>are</em> shorter,” he insisted.</p>
<p>“You’re supposed to say you have no idea how!” Trixie sighed, slumping back against Raziel. </p>
<p>Lucifer rolled his eyes and started muttering about how he would “never understand little urchins and their mysterious ways” and why would he tell her something that wasn’t true (he had a thing about lying, Chloe knew, but she was glad that he didn’t lie). Chloe watched him as he and Trixie bickered back and forth. He was almost as relaxed as he usually was with them, and she could see that his siblings were watching him like they had never seen this side of him before. She wondered what they would do if they saw him at her apartment with his shoes and suit jacket off playing Monopoly with her and her daughter. She had to hide her grin at the thought. </p>
<p>“What are you smirking about?” Lucifer asked, brow raised as he glanced in her direction. He was trying to keep his eyes on the road, which Chloe appreciated. She also appreciated that he wasn’t speeding with her daughter in the car. </p>
<p>“Just thinking about our last game night,” she told him. </p>
<p>Lucifer scoffed. “That little <em>hellion</em> of yours cheated!” he insisted. “And you helped her.”</p>
<p>“I would never cheat!” she gaped. </p>
<p>“And the urchin?” he asked, pointed. </p>
<p>Chloe looked back at Trixie who was trying to hide her silent giggles behind her hands. She grinned as she replied, “Just because you had to draw twelve cards doesn’t mean she cheated…”</p>
<p>Lucifer stopped at a red light and turned to glare at Chloe and Trixie, who was shaking with laughter. “That doesn’t explain how she had almost every draw four wild card in the entire deck!” he growled. </p>
<p>“You’re just mad because you had to have a kitty-cat painted on your face!”  Trixie squealed through her laughter.</p>
<p>He growled at them and turned away. Chloe was still laughing when Raphael spoke up. “You have a game night?” he asked, like it was something strange (maybe to him, to all of them, it was).</p>
<p>“Twice a month,” Chloe sighed. “Sometimes Dan and Maze will join in too.”</p>
<p>“Mazikeen’s been teaching you how to hide cards, hasn’t she!” Lucifer demanded suddenly and scoffed as Trixie giggled. “I knew introducing the two of you was a terrible idea,” he grumbled. </p>
<p>“But then I wouldn’t get to learn how to thr-”</p>
<p>“Beatrice!” Lucifer cut her off. “Don’t you want to look at your dress, darling? Just don’t let Mum see, hers is a surprise!”</p>
<p>Trixie gasped and made grabby hands at the garment bag holding her dress. Chloe narrowed her eyes at Lucifer as he studiously ignored her (all the while, Trixie cooed at her dress along with Rae-Rae and Razzie, Raphael was too busy looking between the two of them to bother with dresses). “What, exactly, is Maze teaching her?” Chloe asked, her voice hard and demanding.</p>
<p>“Now, darling,” he started, and Chloe sighed heavily. “It’s nothing bad,” he tried. She crossed her arms and it was Lucifer’s turn to sigh. “Detective,” he coaxed, but she just glared out at the world beyond the car. He sighed again, parking in the drive of his parents’ house. “Chloe.” </p>
<p>Her eyes met his. </p>
<p>“You know I would never do anything to put her in danger,” he said. </p>
<p>“I know…”</p>
<p>Rae-Rae, Razzie (who looked like she really wanted to stay and watch them), and Raphael climbed out of the car, but Trixie stayed popping up between them. “I’m being really careful, Mom, I promise…”</p>
<p>Chloe sighed. “What is she teaching you?” </p>
<p>“Just some knife throwing, nothing too dangerous,” Lucifer said in a rush. “It’s not- there’s- Maze is the best I could think of and after… after Malcolm I wanted her to be able to protect herself…” He was looking down at his hands.</p>
<p>“Lucifer…” Chloe said. </p>
<p>“I just… I wanted her to be safe…” he said, softer than he’d probably meant to. </p>
<p>“I know, babe,” she sighed. “Just… ask first next time?” </p>
<p>Lucifer tilted his head like he was confused, but he nodded. Lucifer was still staring at her like he didn’t understand. She took Trixie inside as Lucifer got their dresses out of the car, but even as Rae-Rae took Trixie with her to get their hair done, Lucifer was still looking at her like she was something to be wary of. </p>
<p>“Lucifer…” she sighed, once they were alone in their room. </p>
<p>His head snapped in her direction. “Yes, darling?” he asked, like he thought he was in trouble. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” she asked wringing her hands.</p>
<p>“Of course,” he said quickly. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” she said. He had promised never to lie to her. </p>
<p>He looked away and she sighed again. “I just…” he started. “You… you’re not mad at me? For having Maze teach Beatrice how to throw knives?” </p>
<p>“No, not anymore,” Chloe sighed. “I just wish you’d told me about it before. Or at least asked. I could have put her in karate or something if you were worried about it.” She wouldn’t have thought that she would ever take Lucifer’s concerns about her daughter seriously, but then, when they had first started out, he did ask her if Trixie was trained because she didn’t fetch. But now… now he knew her and worried about her, much more than Chloe had thought he would, and it was… it was part of why she thought that maybe… maybe they could be together? </p>
<p>“But, Detective, Maze’s teachings are much more useful,” he smirked. “And her services are much better than an after-school karate teacher.”</p>
<p>Chloe rolled her eyes. “Show me my dress?” she requested. Though, it wasn’t really a request.</p>
<p>Lucifer rolled his eyes and scoffed, but he hung the garment bag on the back of the door. “It was supposed to be a surprise, darling,” he told her. “But I suppose…” And then he unzipped the bag and gave the floor a gentle smirk as she gasped. </p>
<p>“Lucifer…” she managed on a breath out. “It’s… it’s beautiful!” </p>
<p>It was a deep midnight blue and all over it were small delicate lines that were just light enough to be seen when caught by the light. The constellations, every single one, embroidered onto the fabric. It was almost floor length, and if she knew her partner like she thought she did, she knew he had also gotten her some shoes to match. Her hand went to the necklace at her throat (the one he’d given her, th, the one she never really took off), this was the most perfect dress she had ever seen. And it was hers…</p>
<p>“Now, darling,” he sighed, “you can play dress up later, for now, you have to join Razzie and Rae-Rae so they can do… whatever they need to with your hair.”</p>
<p>“Up or down?” she asked, knowing that he had a preference. </p>
<p>He licked his lips and closed his eyes (imagining her with her hair down, staring up at him with those eyes of hers that never failed to make him feel known). When he opened them, his eyes were dark like they were sometimes when she’d caught him staring at her taking down a suspect or on her way back up from bending over. “They’ll have to put it up, I’m afraid…” he told her, his voice was a little rough and she tried not to let him see her shiver. </p>
<p>“That’s too bad,” she sighed.</p>
<p>“Isn’t it just…” he breathed. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lucifer shook himself. “I’ll walk you to the-”</p>
<p>He was cut off by a knock on the door. “Mr. Morningstar, Mrs. Godson is requesting Ms. Decker come to get her hair done,” Mr. Wooster said through the door. Lucifer opened the door and let the Detective pass, he was going to walk with them, to see the Detective off so to speak, but Mr. Wooster stopped him. “Mr. Godson has requested your presence in the billiard room, Mr. Morningstar,” he said, and his voice was a little gentler than when he’d been talking to the both of them (he had always had a soft spot for some of the Godson children).</p>
<p>“Right,” Lucifer sighed, and then he watched her walk away from him. With a glance at his watch, he decided that he did have time for meeting his father before his appointment with Linda.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oops sorry i got a little busy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! heres chapter 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He made his way through the house, and sooner than he would like, he was outside the billiard room. He took a deep breath and then he opened the door. Yeshua was the first to see him. “Lucifer!” his voice was as bright and as pleasant as it always was.  </p>
<p>“Good afternoon, brother,” Lucifer gave him a small smile. “Looking forward to your birthday?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I don’t care about that! I’m just glad to be around my family,” he said with a grin. Lucifer resisted rolling his eyes. But only just. </p>
<p>“Luci!” Amenadiel greeted. “I was telling Father all about you and Chloe. I was surprised when you said you were together. Why didn’t you say anything before now?”</p>
<p>Lucifer stiffened; he was <em>very</em> alert now. This was exactly what he’d been wanting to avoid. “Yes, it’s a rather… recent development…” he said. His eyes slid to where his father was standing, Michael, Remiel, and Gabriel surrounding him like self-appointed bodyguards, like they thought he would attack his father (only if he ever tried to hurt Chloe or Beatrice, then there would be nothing left of the man, or those that tried to protect him). Archibald was watching him like he was wary, like he was suspicious of what Lucifer was doing here.</p>
<p>A visit home could never just be a visit home. Not for him. Lucifer sighed and tried to listen to what Amenadiel was saying but he was too busy worrying about why his father had asked about him and Chloe. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Raphael greeted, saving him from having to respond to what he hadn’t heard Amenadiel ask him. “Thanks for today, brother! It was really fun.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Lucifer responded with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, I asked if you’d like to speak to father,” Amenadiel reasserted. </p>
<p>“Not particularly,” Lucifer growled, but Archibald Godson waited for no one and was already standing in front of him. He sighed heavily and met his father’s eyes defiantly. “Father,” he said.</p>
<p>Archibald just stared at him. “Show me what you did to them,” he demanded. </p>
<p>Lucifer blinked in shock. This was… He snarled at the older man, “No!”</p>
<p>Archibald drew up to his full height, “You <em>will</em> show me.”</p>
<p>“You’ll have to kill me first,” Lucifer growled, and then he turned away and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. He felt every eye in the room on him and he knew that he was still the only one of his siblings that had ever dared to publicly refuse his father anything. Other than being scorned, he wondered what his father could really do to him. He was well connected, so Lucifer thought that he could at least have him paid to be killed. More likely he would ask Amenadiel and as much as he worshiped the ground that Archibald walked on, Lucifer didn’t think that his older brother would ever have the guts to kill anyone. At his heart, Amenadiel was good, though it took a lot of digging. </p>
<p>He threw his drink back and then, abruptly, decided that he’d had enough of his family. Without trying to attract attention, he left the room and wound up in the gardens again. He pulled out his phone and stared at the screen for a while before dialing Dr. Linda’s number. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” she greeted, surprised. “You’re calling on time.”</p>
<p>“Strange, I know,” he chuckled, but it was dull. </p>
<p>“Trip not going well?” she asked. “I thought it would be easier with Chloe there?”</p>
<p>He sighed. “There was a change of plans, thanks to Daniel…”</p>
<p>“You’re there by yourself?” she asked, and it sounded like she was alarmed. </p>
<p>Lucifer let out a harsh and bitter laugh. “It would be better if I was…” he sighed. “Daniel backed out of taking Beatrice so she… she came along…”</p>
<p>“Oh, Lucifer,” Linda sighed. </p>
<p>“He’s yelled at her already,” he growled. “He’s scared her, and I have half a mind to tear his fucking throat out for it…” There was silence on the other end, and he sighed. He’d always been a little more violent than was appropriate. “I never wanted her near him to begin with…”</p>
<p>“And it feels like you were forced to bring her along?” she asked. </p>
<p>“No, I… I told the Detective that she should stay home with her spawn but they both refused. Some nonsense about not wanting me to be here alone,” he sighed. “I’ve done it before; it would be easier if they weren’t here…”</p>
<p>Linda was quiet for a moment. “Would it be? Really?” she asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer closed his eyes. Unbidden, the memories of last night and this morning, especially, came to mind. “No…” he admitted, and he felt terrible for it, because he didn’t think he deserved the help. “But then… then they wouldn’t have to see me like this…” he sighed, trying to hide a sniffle. When had he started to tear up?</p>
<p>“It’s not a weakness to ask for help, Lucifer,” Linda reminded him. There was quiet between them as she let him calm himself a little. “How was seeing Rae-Rae?” she asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer cleared his throat. “She’s doing well, being her usual self. She and Razzie have practically taken the urchin under their wings, so to speak…” He chuckled bitterly. At the thought of wings, he hunched his shoulders. If he spent too long in this house, it started to feel like he still had them, those tattoos, still had that bastard’s claim to him on his back. </p>
<p>“Lucifer?” Linda’s voice cut though his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Hmm?” he hummed, still trying to rid himself of that feeling. Chloe had been the only one to ever make it go away, the burning of his shoulders. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Just… thinking,” he settled on. She sighed, but she didn’t call him out on it. “I- I told him that I… that I don’t have my wings any longer,” he said, instead of answering her unasked question. </p>
<p>“How did that go?” she asked, her voice gentle and he appreciated that she knew him like she did. </p>
<p>“Well, it was a bit more public than I ever imagined it would be…” he told her. “Breakfast with the Godsons’ has never been so fraught…” </p>
<p>“It sounds like you’ve had a lot to deal with today… Are you… How are you coping?” she asked him. </p>
<p>He sighed. “The Detective helps,” he told her. Chloe always helped him, she cared about him, at least he hoped that she did. He tried to imagine making this trip without her, but he couldn’t. He wondered what that meant for him now… what it made him…</p>
<p>He spoke to Linda about their trip to the ice-rink and the party that they would have to attend. He also told her that Chloe had agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend for the duration of the trip. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, are you sure that you and Chloe pretending is a good idea?” she seemed concerned for the both of them and Lucifer wondered why for a moment. </p>
<p>“We talked about it on the drive over,” he said, like that covered it. “The Detective said she didn’t mind, and she even asked about kissing me, which shouldn’t have felt as shocking as it was, Doctor!” </p>
<p>Linda left him with a few encouragements and asked him to think about what he would like to say to his family as a whole now that most of them were gathered together in one place. She told him that he didn’t have to talk to them about it, but she wanted him to think about what he would say to them and tell her about it the next time he spoke to her. He didn’t think he’d have much to say to them, but he promised her that he would think about it anyway. He didn’t want to go back into the house, and he suddenly felt an ache in his chest. He wished desperately for a moment that the Detective was with him, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He just… she was so very good to him that sometimes it hurt, and sometimes, like now, he craved her presence and her hands on him in whatever capacity she would allow. Not that she would allow much, but he hoped as he always did…</p>
<p>He pulled a cigarette out and lit it with a sigh. He smoked it slowly and sat there until the sun started to set. He really should get ready for the party or his mother might actually remember that she caught him without shoes in the main house earlier that morning. He flicked the cigarette into the bushes and stood with a sigh. He hoped that he and the Deckers would be able to get through the night without any drama. Not that he thought they would, but, as Ella kept telling him, it never hurt to hope (which was different from reality, he knew, because he used to hope for a lot of things when he was younger). </p>
<p>He rushed up to their room and put on a fresh suit. Darker than the one he’d been wearing earlier, and a lighter colored shirt (though he hadn’t put on the jacket yet, his waistcoat was unbuttoned, and he still needed to put on his cufflinks). He was just putting his shoes on when Chloe and Trixie were ushered into the room by an impatient Razzie. She paused when she saw him. “I thought you’d still be with the rest of the men,” she said, with a roll of her eyes.</p>
<p>“I’ll never be able to be in the same room with that bast-” he caught Chloe’s sharp expression and cut himself off. He wasn’t supposed to say curse words around the urchin.</p>
<p>“That’s okay, Mommy, I know that one already,” Trixie said, and she unzipped the bag that her dress was in. It matched her mother’s almost exactly, but the star pattern sparkled with sequins which he thought she’d like. </p>
<p>Chloe glared at Lucifer for a moment longer, to make sure he knew that she blamed him for Trixie’s ever-growing knowledge of curse words. “Lucifer taught you that one already, huh?” she sighed. </p>
<p>“No, it was Maze,” Trixie shrugged. “Lucifer’s the one that taught me-”</p>
<p>“To keep secrets, wasn’t it?” he cut her off. He couldn’t have the Detective knowing about that, after all. It had been an accident and he’d sworn the little hellion to secrecy. But now, he was positive she’d told at least one person (and that that person had been Mazikeen). </p>
<p>Trixie covered her mouth, and then she sent her mother a big, innocent grin. “Yeah! To keep secrets!” she snickered, and then she asked for help putting her dress on. </p>
<p>“I’ll help you,” Razzie chirped, snagging the little girl and the dress in one go and taking them to the room Trixie was staying in. </p>
<p>Chloe stood across from Lucifer, watching him as he finished with his shoes. He put on his cufflinks, the ones he had made for very special occasions (they were a smaller version of her badge, just the numbers and her last name, only barely visible but he knew it was there) and he thought this counted. He watched her as she turned away from him, giving up on trying to see if he would tell her that once he’d accidentally called someone a cocksucker in front of the urchin after someone had cut him off in heavy traffic. He’d had to give the urchin two hundred dollars and the biggest piece of chocolate cake she’d ever seen so she wouldn’t tell Chloe. “Your hair looks gorgeous,” he told her softly. </p>
<p>She blushed, but Lucifer caught her lips curling up at the corners. “Thank you,” she said quickly. “I should, uh, I should go get dressed.” She gathered her things and then, abruptly, she holed herself up in the bathroom. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed, and buttoned his waistcoat. He wanted nothing more than to pack Chloe and the urchin into the car and drive them back to LA. He wanted to never see his father ever again, he wanted, he wanted, he wanted, and wasn’t that exactly what he’d always been doing? Wanting something to happen, wanting someone to care…</p>
<p>He flinched when the bathroom door opened. Chloe stood there in her dress, looking… looking so very beautiful that he just had to stare at her. He would give everything he owned just to see her in this dress with her hair down. He was sure that he was staring at her with his mouth open like an idiot, and only shook himself out of it when she stepped forwards. “Can you… I can’t get the zipper all the way up…” she said. </p>
<p>“Of course, darling,” he said, coming up to her. She was a vision and once she turned around his mouth went dry. He hadn’t thought… her entire back was bare to him and when he reached up to grab the zipper he had to stop himself from just touching her. He wanted to run his fingertips up and down the planes of her back, like how she’d done for him last night… Instead, he grabbed the zipper and tried not to let his knuckles drag against her back, but watching the goosebumps rise along her back at the feather of his touch… he couldn’t quite help himself. He also couldn’t help stepping up to her, her back now pressed to his chest, and breathing in the scent of her. It was still there, under all of the hairspray. His hands settled at her hips and he wanted so badly to bury his face in her neck, but he settled resting his chin against her head. She still needed to put on her heels, but he liked it when she was barefoot. She fit the best against him then. </p>
<p>“You okay?” she asked, soft and soothing (and how she could always tell that he wasn’t okay was… he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it). She leaned back into him and he shuddered, his arms going around her waist to hold her closer. </p>
<p>“I had a call with Linda,” he told her.</p>
<p>“You didn’t go see your dad?” she asked, one of her hands tangling with his as they stood there. </p>
<p>He sighed deeply. “I did, but I…” he swallowed. “He wanted me to show him…”</p>
<p>Chloe turned in his arms. “Oh, babe,” she sighed, and then she slipped her arms around him.</p>
<p>“I had an appointment with Linda already, but I…” he looked away from her. He still felt unsettled, but she was close to him. “It wasn’t…” he sighed, frustrated. </p>
<p>“We can stay here,” Chloe offered. “We don’t have to go to that party…”</p>
<p>He placed a hand on her face. He wished that he could stay here with the Detective and her urchin, but he knew that would just make his father and mother even angrier than they already were. “I wish that we didn’t, darling,” he sighed. </p>
<p>“Are you guys done being mushy?” Trixie asked as she barreled through the door. She turned to Razzie who was watching them in a way Lucifer was unfamiliar with. He didn’t like it. </p>
<p>Chloe sighed, and rolled her eyes for him, making him smirk. “What do you think, darling?” he purred, playfully pulling her closer.</p>
<p>Chloe hummed on a chuckle, “I wouldn’t say that we’re being mushy…”</p>
<p>“You guys <em>are</em> being mushy!” Trixie sighed. She was twirling in front of the mirror, watching the sparkles on her dress in the light. “<em>And</em> you’re always mushy! Especially when I’m doing my homework.” And then she turned to Razzie with a grin. She whispered loudly, “They’re always snuggling on the couch!”</p>
<p>“Okay, you little weasel!” Chloe grinned, and then she started after Trixie with her hands outstretched and ready for a tickle attack. Trixie squealed suddenly and started to run around the room, followed by Chloe. Lucifer grinned and snagged the urchin around the waist as she tried to run past him. She squealed and he wrinkled his nose at how loud it was. “Gotcha!” Chloe laughed and then tickled her daughter until she begged her mother to stop. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed and watched them, smiling softly as they laughed with each other. He had never been more fond of the two of them… Except when they… well, he was always fond of them, but this was… a particularly strong feeling. “Alright,” he told them on a soft chuckle, but all Chloe had to do was turn that smile toward him and he was… he would lay himself at her feet every time she looked at him like that. </p>
<p>“We should go,” Razzie said, breaking the moment, but she was smiling at the three of them. </p>
<p>Trixie groaned in disappointment and slumped in Lucifer’s arms. She straightened and then put her arms loosely around Lucifer’s neck. “Lucifer?” she asked, as he led them all out the door (waiting for Chloe to slip on her shoes before they left). </p>
<p>“Yes, urchin?” he sighed, rolling his eyes at Chloe, but she just hid a grin of her own as she walked with him. </p>
<p>“Will there be dancing there?” she asked.</p>
<p>“There always is,” Razzie answered for him. </p>
<p>Trixie nodded seriously. They were all quiet as they walked down the stairs. Trixie took a deep breath and then, just as they got to the foyer, where everyone else was gathered, she asked with a hint of nervousness, “After you dance with Mommy, will you dance with me?” </p>
<p>Lucifer smirked, “If that’s what you’d like, little love. But remember to ask once we’re there.” He was hoping that her small urchin brain would forget to ask, and he’d escape her sticky hands for the night (but really, before the end of the night, he knew that she would find him and he would dance with her until she was too tired to do anything but sleep). </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Amenadiel started looking between him and their father. </p>
<p>“Not. Now.” Lucifer growled, and then he led the Detective out of the door to pile into one of the two limousines that were waiting out front. There had always been two of them, one for Mum, Dad, Amenadiel, and the “good” ones of the family, and then the ones that liked Lucifer better in the second one with him (or that’s what it had always felt like). He wondered what it was like when he wasn’t there…</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>SO....... SO. </p>
<p>ENJOY ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The urchin was climbing around on the seats before everyone piled in, but she settled between Lucifer and Raziel, who seemed to have become the small child’s favorite. Lucifer must have been lost in thought because Chloe brushed her fingers against his knee. He turned to her, crowding close because her brow was a little furrowed. “What’s the matter, darling?” he asked her, letting himself place a soft kiss to her forehead. He wanted to kiss her (he always wanted to kiss her), but he didn’t want to ruin her makeup… They’d done an absolutely breathtaking job on it… it wasn’t too much, just enough to accentuate how beautiful she already was…</p>
<p>“Nothing,” she sighed, but she leaned against him, reaching across him to pull his hand into her lap. </p>
<p>He sighed and let the weight of his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. He watched the urchin and Rae-Rae play some sort of paddy cake clapping game (something that she and Razzie had probably been perfecting since they were children) and giggling to each other as Razzie showed Raphael a video of something that must have been funny on her phone because they were both laughing. He was content enough to sit with the warmth of the Detective at his side for as long as she liked. They were about to arrive when she softly called his name. “Yes, love?” he whispered into her hair. </p>
<p>“Your dad was staring at me and it… it gave me the creeps,” she told him, her voice was still low, like it was sometimes when they had to go undercover on the fly when his access got her farther than she ever thought it would and they were too close to getting more information, usually very vital information, so they had to pretend to be… closer than they actually were. </p>
<p>“What.” His voice was like steel, still low but the sort of dangerous he knew she’d only ever associated with when he was <em>very</em> angry and someone had tried to hurt her (or her daughter). </p>
<p>“Lucifer, don’t… I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t worry about when it would happen all night,” she told him. He just scoffed and growled in the back of his throat. When the car stopped, he pushed the door open before the butler of the valet or whoever it was could do it. He helped the Detective and the urchin out of the car, but Raphael waved him away before he could help his sisters as well. Which worked for him because the urchin was pulling at his hand impatiently while Chloe looked up at him in worry and something like determination. </p>
<p>They caught up to the rest of his family on the stairs of the Queen Mansion, and Lucifer found that the Detective was right, that he was relieved about not having to worry when his father would turn his attention to Chloe. He knew that by the time they left his father would make sure to corner the Detective. To probe for weakness, no doubt. “Lucifer,” Chloe whispered, slipping her hand into his. </p>
<p>“Yes, Detective?” he asked absently, but once he turned to her she had his full attention. He’d just noticed that she kept her bullet necklace on. His eyes flicked back up to her face and he let the corners of his lips tip up in a smile, his father forgotten for a moment. </p>
<p>She tied to say something, but then they were all ushered into the front door, though she and the urchin stayed close. Beatrice was holding his other hand trying to look at every holiday decoration they passed and keeping an eye out for someone to play with all at once. There was a moment when Chloe’s attention was on something Razzie was pointing out, he leaned down and told the urchin about how he used to hide under the tables at these parties and talk with the other children that didn’t like the kids’ room either. The last time he’d been home, before he’d met the Detective, he’d seen a few children rushing in and out of tablecloths, knelt for a moment to tell Beatrice a secret (she loved sharing secrets with him, something he made sure to do often because it always made her smile and they could team up against the Detective when she wanted to have green beans for dinner, because both he and the urchin agreed that peas were always better than green beans). “You know, little love, I used to hide under the tables when I was small,” he whispered as he pretended to straighten her dress for her. </p>
<p>“Really?” she whispered back. She was already looking at them like she was wondering if she would fit. </p>
<p>“Go on, urchin,” he urged, and he felt Chloe place a hand on his shoulder. </p>
<p>“Where is she going?” Chloe asked with a raised brow.</p>
<p>“To explore, darling,” he chuckled, and then he pulled her closer as the urchin slipped off to explore underneath the tables. He watched her rush off with a smirk. He hoped she wouldn’t get into too much trouble like he used to…  </p>
<p>“Explore?” she said.</p>
<p>“The great dark depths of beneath the tablecloths,” he told her. Chloe just shook her head at him, but she didn’t pull away… She stayed practically plastered to him. He would consider it a shame, what with the dress and what a stunning figure she cut in it, but, selfishly, he wanted to be the only one to look at her. “Did I manage to tell you, Detective, how beautiful you look tonight?” he said to her. </p>
<p>She hummed. “You said something about my hair…” she told him. </p>
<p>He smirked. She was being coy on purpose, she <em>wanted</em> him to tell her how beautiful she was… Well… he would certainly oblige her. “You’re easily as beautiful as the stars themselves,” he told her, but his delivery was much softer and… more genuine than he’d meant it to be. He’d meant to tease, but this… the look in her eyes as she stared up at him… that was perfect…</p>
<p>“Lucifer…” she said…</p>
<p>“God, this is sickening,” Michael sighed from beside them. “I really can’t believe that <em>you</em> could care for another human being in any capacity.”</p>
<p>Lucifer closed his eyes and sighed heavily, annoyed. “Thank you, Michael, for the commentary,” he bit out. </p>
<p>“No, really,” he said. “I’ve never once seen you like this with anyone! It has to be fake! Come on how much is he paying you, doll?”</p>
<p>Lucifer opened his mouth to say something, but Chloe beat him to it. “Lucifer would never have to pay me to love him,” she said, and it was with that voice of hers, the domineering, tough detective one, that always made him bow to her expertise. </p>
<p>Lucifer was so lost in the… the possibility that she might be telling the truth, that he almost missed Michael’s reply. “If you love him so much, prove it!” he smirked. </p>
<p>Lucifer growled low in his throat and Michael looked like he wanted to retreat for a moment and then steeled his resolve. He opened his mouth to speak when Chloe called his name. He looked down at her. She placed her hand on the side of his face hand pulled it down to hers. For a moment all he heard was his own heartbeat, and then he felt her lips on his. He was sure he would have gasped if he had the breath for it. Instead, his eyes slid closed and he could only think ‘<em>Chloe</em>…’ He was content to just have her lips on him in any capacity, but she was the one that nipped at his bottom lip, so he was the one that opened to her. He pressed back against her, his hand coming up to cup the back of her head. It was gentle and everything he remembered her kissing him that first time had felt like, but she was much more insistent now, like she was sure about it (and he thought that it was because she knew this wasn’t real, but he’d never been more wrong… she was trying to show him that she cared about him, but didn’t think that he cared about her like that, but she thought that he deserved to know that she did…). When they pulled away, and Lucifer didn’t know exactly how long they had been kissing, he rested his forehead against hers and sighed. He’d never felt like that in this city… never this close to his family. “Chloe…” he gasped. He brought his other hand up and let his fingertips trace her jawline. He didn’t look away from her eyes until hers flicked down to his lips once more. His own tongue traced the same line across his lips that hers had when she kissed him, he wanted to trace it along hers this time…</p>
<p>“Was that really necessary?” Remiel asked, rolling her eyes and shouldering past Lucifer to make room for Gabriel trailing after her. Michael looked like he had swallowed a handful of broken glass, but he followed after Gabriel like he’d lost something. Probably a bet. </p>
<p>This time it was the Detective that beat him to growling. “I really don’t like her,” she told him with a wrinkle in her brow. She looked up at him and frowned, and he wondered what he’d done wrong when she brought her thumb to his mouth. He was thoroughly confused for a moment when she just rubbed at the corner of his mouth with it as she continued to grumble about Remiel and how rude it was to slut-shame someone. He was about to tell her that he didn’t care at all about what that particular sister of his thought of him, when she finally stopped messing about with his face. He swiped at the corners of his lips when she was done, feeling a little self-conscious about what she had been doing, and her eyes snapped to his so quickly that he froze. “Did I miss any?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Any what?”</p>
<p>“Lipstick.”</p>
<p>“I’m not wearing any tonight, darling,” he smirked.</p>
<p>She smirked back and turned away from him. “Not anymore…”</p>
<p>“That’s the cutest I’ve ever seen him with anyone,” Razzie whispered loudly, breaking the moment. When Lucifer turned to her, she was standing there with Rae-Rae who was grinning at them like she thought they were being particularly cute. </p>
<p>“I dunno, Raz, I thought that he was being pretty cute with Trixie earlier,” Rae-Rae grinned. </p>
<p>Lucifer started to look around the room discretely, he knew Razzie was doing, she was trying to tease him, not that it would work (it had <em>always</em> worked, and it would probably work this time too)! Though, with Michael and Remiel and Razzie all over him, he was feeling a little hot around the collar… and he had also just finished… some business with the Detective. This was something they three of them did every single time that they were at one of the Queen’s parties. Something that he hadn’t done since he was fifteen (the last time he had been allowed home before now, because even Rae-Rae told him once that she had asked every year, but this was the first time Father had said yes). </p>
<p>“Ugh, Rae, you didn’t get to see him with <em>both</em> of them at the same time earlier!” Razzie swooned. </p>
<p>With one last look around the room, Lucifer burst into action causing his sisters to scramble away from them with gleeful shrieks. Every year they’d been to a Queen party, they’d teased each other to the point that one would get so frustrated that they’d chase the others. He took a moment to look back at Chloe, who was gaping after them, he chased his sisters to the doorway on the other side of the room but stopped once he got there. He didn’t want to leave the Detective all on her own. His father had probably asked some of his siblings to probe for weaknesses, and he didn’t want to leave her alone as a target. </p>
<p>He practically glided back to Chloe’s side, wanting nothing more than to be close to her (she had kissed him, and it had been amazing and he’d lost himself in it, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that because he was a bit hopeless for her, not that he thought anyone knew), and tucked her into his side. He sighed. If they weren’t here with his parents, it would be a pretty fun evening. Chloe had been right earlier; he hadn’t thought about how terrible it was being here when they had gone skating. Perhaps it could be like that for this too…</p>
<p>He snagged them some flutes of champagne from a passing tray, and Chloe smiled at him as she took a sip. He watched her out of the corner of his eye; she really was a beautiful woman… He was hit with the urge to tell her again, but he hadn’t quite recovered from earlier. She turned to look at him and he raised a questioning brow. “Did you used to hide under the tablecloths?” she asked him. </p>
<p>He hummed. He looked around the room and spotted a tray missing from one of the tables. “They’ve already taken the best dessert tray,” was all he said in response. “It’s a tradition of sorts…”</p>
<p>Chloe was smiling up at him, her eyes practically sparkling in that way they did when she looked up at him sometimes… “Started by you?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Well,” he chuckled, trying not to be caught breathless by her looking up at him like that. </p>
<p>“You know, brother,” Amenadiel said, suddenly and loudly from their right. He was holding a drink, and if Lucifer didn’t know his brother like he did, he would think this was his fifth drink instead of his first (Amenadiel was a lightweight, always had been, but he only drank cosmos which drove Lucifer up the wall whenever his brother visited Lux). His arm snagged Lucifer around the neck in a pseudo-stranglehold/hug. “I don’t know how I didn’t see that you and Chloe would get together…” he sighed, shaking his head. “I mean really, you two stand like this all of the time!” He pulled away keeping a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder and motioning to the two of them with his drink. </p>
<p>Lucifer looked down at Chloe as she looked up at him. They were standing awfully close; his hand was resting at the small of her back instead of hovering like it usually would. And her arm was touching him, she was actually leaning against him. He felt her stiffen, but he didn’t pull away when she stayed where she was. He knew that she thought being close to him wasn’t enjoyable, everyone thought something similar about him eventually (he didn’t know that Chloe was wondering if she had really been so obvious, that people could tell that she cared about him like that)…  “Thanks, Amenadiel?” she offered when Lucifer had nothing to stay. </p>
<p>Amenadiel pulled her into a hug and then wandered off, clapping some people on the shoulder and giving everyone else awkward finger guns as he made his way across the room. Chloe and Lucifer looked at each other, and then Chloe burst out with a snort of laughter, which she tried to hide in his chest. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. This was the first time she was around while his brother was drinking. </p>
<p>She was still grinning when she looked up at him. He smiled down at her, feeling more than a little bit like she was his entire world, and then asked her, “Darling, would you like to dance?” </p>
<p>She looked out at the dance floor, there was a small blonde woman with glasses in the arms of a man with blond short hair. They were the only ones out on the floor, and that made Chloe a little nervous (she wasn’t one for public attention… not after her dad had been killed…). But the thought of dancing with Lucifer…  </p>
<p>In the end she offered him her hand and he led her out onto the floor. She wasn’t really paying attention to the song, but Lucifer had that covered, his feet knowing what to do and her just following his lead. She caught a few of Lucifer’s siblings watching them, and once, his mother staring her down. Lucifer had been right about her; she was very particular and bit sharky. </p>
<p>“You alright, Detective? You seem a bit distracted,” Lucifer’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. She glanced over to the side and he scoffed gently. “Just ignore them,” he told her, “none of them has ever seen me with… with you…”</p>
<p>She smirked. “So, what you’re telling me is that I’m special?”</p>
<p>“Haven’t I said so before?” he chuckled. His voice was playful, but she could hear the softness underneath, as she always could.</p>
<p>She took a moment to smile at him, “Yeah… you have…”</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” they were interrupted. </p>
<p>He sighed heavily and Chloe tried not to laugh at the expression on his face. He waltzed them to the edge of the floor near his brother. “Yeshua,” he said. </p>
<p>“I wanted to thank you for coming to this whole thing,” he gestured around them, and then snagged three champagne flutes from one of the passing waitstaff. He handed them each one and waited until they tapped their glasses against his. “I know this is difficult for you,” Yeshua said to Lucifer, “and I know you didn’t do it for me, but I… I’m glad you’re here, brother…”</p>
<p>Lucifer gave him a small smile. “It <em>is</em> good to see you, little brother,” Lucifer sighed. </p>
<p>“But not the rest?” he smirked. And then he winked with a grin, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them!”</p>
<p>He clasped Lucifer on the shoulder and then walked away, which Lucifer rolled his eyes at. “He was nice,” Chloe said to him, “I mean, if you ignore that he acted like this party was for him.”</p>
<p>“Well, when he gets off his high horse and stops asking people to donate to, and I quote, ‘<em>charity</em>’ for his birthday present, then I’ll stop rolling my eyes at the holier-than-thou attitude Mother and Father decided he was supposed to have,” he scoffed.</p>
<p>“Charity?” Chloe asked. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed, “Well, that in itself isn’t a bad thing, but when you don’t specify the charity not very many people donate at all… They never ask him which ones and I don’t think he knows any by name.”</p>
<p>Chloe blinked. “So you donated to a charity for his birthday?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, something to do with puppies,” he drained his glass of champagne. “That urchin of yours helped me pick it out…”</p>
<p>Chloe turned to him, “When?”</p>
<p>“Weeks ago,” he sighed, “before Azrael roped me into this.” He gestured vaguely with his hand and Chloe knew that he wasn’t just referring to the party. She could tell that he meant the entire visit. She felt bad, suddenly, for insisting they come, but they were already here, and Lucifer was having a good time with the siblings that actually liked him. </p>
<p>“You know… you could invite Azrael and Raziel to LA if you wanted,” she told him. </p>
<p>He turned to her and blinked.</p>
<p>“You could see them more often that way.”</p>
<p>“It’s habit,” he said, and he looked surprised that he had spoken, it made her lips turn up at the corners. He cleared his throat lightly, “Father likes to use them as spies, or he used to, back when they all believed. It’s still Amenadiel’s primary function.”</p>
<p>Chloe took a moment to process that information, like she had when he’d told her that his father had disowned him. <em>Practically, my ass</em>, she rolled her eyes. “Why would your dad want to spy on you?” she asked, her voice low and deadly. Who even was this guy? And why hadn’t Lucifer ever mentioned this before? She wished that he trusted her… </p>
<p>“God is supposed to be omniscient,” he told her, and his voice was darker than it had been all night. </p>
<p>Chloe couldn’t help but scoff. “God?” she asked, in her usual deadpan. </p>
<p>Lucifer shrugged and looked very much like he would like to be smoking a cigarette. “It’s what we grew up thinking…” he told her softly, like he wasn’t aware he was speaking. “I don’t think any of us really believe anymore, but… there are times I wonder…”</p>
<p>Something (someone, Trixie definitely) barreled into his legs and snapped him out of his thoughts. “Lucifer!” she greeted. </p>
<p>“Urchin,” he sighed.</p>
<p>“Which table do they keep the chocolate cake on?” she asked.</p>
<p>Lucifer smirked and picked her up and Chloe spotted some chocolate on her daughter’s face. She was tempted to tell her not to eat anything else sweet, but then she had second thoughts. Her little monkey was having fun, and she reigned in her mom instinct. “Is Home Base still at the center?” Lucifer asked. Chloe had to roll her eyes. He <em>would</em> remember something like that. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Trixie whispered. Half of her attention was on what Lucifer was saying and the other half was trying to take everything in. Her eyes were big and sparkling and Chloe was suddenly very grateful that Lucifer had saved them both from Malcolm (she had known that she might not make it out, but he’d had Trixie and she would have done anything he said, but then Lucifer had popped out of nowhere and she’d been able to kill Malcolm before he’d found Trixie or her). </p>
<p>“Two diagonally and then left one,” he told her. </p>
<p>She wriggled down and started to scamper away towards the tables but then, suddenly she turned back and barreled into both of them, her little arms barely reaching around them. She grinned up at them and said, “Thanks, I love you!” all in one breath and then she disappeared under the tables (Chloe really should be a little more worried about the expensive dress Trixie was probably getting dust all over, but she was just glad she was having a good time and had probably made friends).</p>
<p>Chloe just shook her head with a soft laugh. When she looked up at Lucifer his head was tilted, and his face was slack with confusion. “Lucifer?” she touched his arm.</p>
<p>His eyes snapped to hers. “Yes, Detective?” </p>
<p>“You okay?” she slipped into his space and he faced her fully. She was looking up at him and she had to stop her hands from coming up to rest on his chest. Or both of them, because one was already gripping the lapel of his suit jacket lightly between two fingers.</p>
<p>(She’d had no idea that Gabriel had been watching, and that he’d been as shocked as Lucifer had that a <em>child</em> had said that to the human equivalent of the Devil, and that he’d gone to tell his father straight away…)</p>
<p>He just shook his head and led her back onto the dance floor. She wasn’t going to push him, she knew he would just deflect, so she let him dance with her for a while and didn’t ask him what was wrong.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so, we've made it this far, how many more tropes can we fit in one fake dating au???? stay tuned to find out!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>anyway! enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once he finally decided that they had danced enough, he dragged her off to find Rae-Rae and Razzie. Razzie had parked herself at the bar, Rae-Rae had always stuck with her older sister at these things and waved them over, calling for four shots. For once, he saw the Detective let loose. Seeing her do a shot was just as amusing as it had been the first time he’d seen it, and he couldn’t help but try to tempt her with one more. “Come on, darling,” he purred in her ear, “just one more, and then we can pick over the remains of the tables your urchin has scavenged to almost barebones…”</p>
<p>“Only one,” she held up a finger and then drained the shot he handed her with barely a grimace. Other than the slight wrinkling of her nose.</p>
<p>He led her between the tables, stopping for polite conversation and to ignore the children that were flitting around behind them. It was a bit of a game, and Lucifer had been the best at it when he was younger. It was because of his… extracurriculars when he was in school (not strictly legal ones, of course, but picking pockets was how he passed his time with his, well he wouldn’t call them mates exactly, but they had been his age, mostly… and then there had been the cars, but that was when he had been too tall to fit under the tables and he’d just snuck off the grounds and smoke pot instead of letting his father introduce him to whoever it was his father thought he needed to be introduced to). Someone bumped them again, and Lucifer smirked but when he looked down he saw Beatrice with her arms stretched to wrap around them again. He heard whispering from under the table, but she didn’t seem to care that she’d lost the game. </p>
<p>“I’m tired,” she told them through a yawn.</p>
<p>Lucifer watched as Chloe frowned, the urchin <em>had</em> got up awfully early that morning. Chloe knelt down and hugged her daughter, picking her up and groaning when Trixie wouldn’t let go. “You’re getting heavy, Trix…” Chloe noted, but the little girl just hugged her tighter. It had been a long day for her, and she had been running around under the tables of hours now. </p>
<p>He knew that she had probably been talking to the Detective earlier when she said ‘I love you’ to them, but it had made him pause. Raphael had said that he was a part of their family, the Detective’s, that was… he just… he wasn’t sure if he could believe it. Chloe looked up at him, rubbing her daughter’s back and frowning like she was trying to think of what to do to make life a little easier for her daughter.</p>
<p>“Oh, come here, urchin,” he grumbled, placing a hand on her back. He didn’t know what made him offer, but he barely thought about it before it was out of his mouth. Chloe helped her shift into his arms, and he scowled playfully as she hugged him tight. He felt Chloe place her hand on his lower back briefly, like she was checking to see if he was okay, but the warmth of her hand lingered. It made him want to reach for her… </p>
<p>“When can we leave?” Trixie yawned into his ear. He tried not to shudder, thinking of all the germs she was breathing onto him. </p>
<p>Chloe looked to Lucifer for an answer. “Don’t worry, urchin, it’ll be soon enough…” he told her. She laid her head on his shoulder and they all stood there for a moment. He met eyes with Chloe and suddenly he was reminded of what he’d promised the urchin when they had been about to leave his parents’ house. </p>
<p>Trixie’s head shot up suddenly, almost smacking him in the jaw with the side of her head. “Did you already dance with Mommy?” she asked, her eyes bright like the Detective’s when she was happy (she, apparently, had remembered too…). He told her that they had, but he was trying not to smirk at her. She wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. She grinned, “That means you can dance with me now, right?” </p>
<p>He sighed, but Chloe was smiling at him with those gentle eyes of hers, so he carried the urchin towards the dance floor. He was trying to ignore his family, and it was mostly working, but he wanted to at least keep an eye out for any of his siblings that might bother her. Trixie set her hand in his when he offered it (her hand was so small in his, and he scrunched up his nose in confusion, how did these things get to be so small? He knew <em>he’d</em> never been that small, but that was beside the point) and then he started a swaying side to side on the edge of the dancefloor. He added a few spins to make her giggle, to try to keep her awake, but eventually she just laid her head on his shoulder and yawned into his neck. He rolled his eyes, he was never going to live this down… the urchin would expect him to carry her around forever at this rate… Though, it might be his fault just a little. For being so protective of her this time around. </p>
<p>He didn’t know if he had managed to make the Detective understand <em>exactly</em> how malicious his father was. It wasn’t obvious, but Lucifer knew that Chloe had seen evil before, so she could definitely tell that his father was the suspicious sort. He just… he didn’t think that he had managed to show her. He definitely hadn’t told her that it was his father that had taught him to be ruthless, to be violent, and she definitely didn’t know that she was seeing a piece of his father every time he lost control around her.</p>
<p>He looked over at the Detective and saw that his father was talking to her. He started for them, his hand hovering protectively over the sleeping urchin’s back, but Chloe caught his eye and gave him a look he knew meant ‘<em>Stay. I can handle this; I’ll let you know if I need you</em>’. It was difficult, but he managed to stay away from them until his father turned and walked towards him, because Archibald Godson never did intimidation by halves. They slipped past each other and his father smirked like he had won. Lucifer didn’t growl like he wanted to, but he knew by how shocked his father looked that his snarl was still as scary as it had ever been. Scarier if it made his father react like that. </p>
<p>As soon as he reached Chloe, he pressed in as close as she allowed. “What did he say to you?” was what he demanded at a whisper, he was trying not to wake the child, but there was also the chance that his father placed a sibling nearby. Chloe gave him a look, but he gave her one back and she sighed. “Chloe,” he bit out, urgent.</p>
<p>“He didn’t really say anything, just probed me about you,” she told him, placing a hand on his chest. He relaxed as she pressed in closer. It was confusing how she could soothe him with just a touch, but he brushed past it, with a deep sigh. “I promise, Lucifer, he asked me about what I saw in you, and then started talking about how you needed someone to keep you in line and how it used to be Michael…” she told him. </p>
<p>Lucifer felt like something in his brain had exploded. “In line…” he repeated. He saw Chloe nod, and then she was speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear a word of what she was saying. His father might try to… he just hoped that he wouldn’t wake up the next morning to find the both of them missing. He would hate to have to tear his entire family to pieces, but for the Detective? Well, he would do whatever he needed to several times over, just to keep her by his side, he would hate to imagine what he would have to do if his father <em>took</em> them…</p>
<p>“Lucifer!” Chloe hissed at him. </p>
<p>“We’re leaving when we get there,” he told her. His voice was dark and deep. </p>
<p>Chloe sighed. “Lucifer…”</p>
<p>“You don’t know him…”</p>
<p>Chloe frowned. “No, you’re right, I don’t. But Lucifer, you can’t drive us home when you’re as tired and stressed as you are, and I have a feeling that if I suggest driving you’ll have something to say about your mom and how I don’t know her either- and then after we’ve left it’ll be because I don’t drive fast enough!” She was frustrated, he could tell.</p>
<p>“Then you and the urchin at least,” he pressed. “Take the car and my credit card, get a room a few hours away, I can meet you in the morni-”</p>
<p>“No.” she said, commanding and he huffed out an irritated breath. She gave him a look and he shook his head with a sigh. “We should leave tomorrow, just to be safe, but I won’t let him scare me away from you, Lucifer. We’ll get through whatever happens together; we’re partners.” Her voice was as hard as steel and her will was just as unyielding. Lucifer couldn’t find the voice to say that he trusted her, but Archibald Godson was the type of thing even the smartest person feared. Still, he refused to leave her side for the last hour they were there. </p>
<p>The Godson’s left as they always did these sort of public events: together and publicly. Rae-Rae and Razzie were both very tipsy, but Lucifer couldn’t find anything funny at the moment. He was on edge. He wondered which one of his siblings had told their father anything about them. Amenadiel could have, but father never had much patience for a drunk Amenadiel. Lucifer didn’t think that Raphael had said anything, but he couldn’t be sure, so it could be anyone of them. Even Rae-Rae. Even Razzie. She did like her secrets…</p>
<p>The ride back felt longer, but he was too deep in thought to really notice. He was trying to go back through the day and figure out what it was his father knew. Raphael was really the only one that said anything about family… Michael had practically dared them to kiss, but that was just typical Michael behavior. </p>
<p>“Lucifer? You getting out?” Rae-Rae asked. She was looking at him over her shoulder, and he saw that Chloe was standing in the driveway. He imagined his father lurking behind her, and was out of the limousine the next moment, Beatrice still tucked in his arms. As soon as he was out of the car his eyes found his father’s. They were as cold as they had always been, steely and sharp. Lucifer tried to keep the burning anger out of his gaze, but he knew he’d failed when his father smirked. Lucifer never lost sight of his father as he walked through the door. </p>
<p>“You coming in the other room for cocktails, Lu?” Rae-Rae grinned, looking up at him. </p>
<p>He couldn’t make himself smile back. “It’s best we put the urchin to bed,” he told her and then he just stood there. He met eyes with his father’s again. He wouldn’t be the first to leave the room. He wouldn’t.</p>
<p>With a jerk of his head, Archibald directed the rest of the room through to the ballroom. Lucifer felt Chloe grasp his hand, and the only movement he made was to grip it back. His father glared at him for a tense moment, but Lucifer never looked away. He was steady on his feet, standing in front of his father for the second time in his life. The first time had been the day that his father threw him out onto the streets, he hadn’t been afraid then because he’d been right, his father was the real monster, not him, but he’d been naive and thought that truth could defeat power, but he’d been very, very wrong… But now, he was powerful in his own right, and his father <em>could</em> age and was hopefully a little past his prime. Lucifer would fight if he was pushed to it, but in the end Archibald left with a self-satisfied smirk and turned to join the rest of the family in the other room. </p>
<p>As soon as the door was closed, Lucifer’s shoulders loosened, and he turned to Chloe. He wanted to make sure she was alright, but she was already looking up at him with that worried expression of hers. “It’ll be alright, darling,” he murmured to her.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” she asked him, one of her hands raised to his cheek, her fingers barely brushing against his face. </p>
<p>He didn’t answer her, couldn’t bring himself to, so he ushered her up the stairs. Once they were in their room, Chloe peeled the urchin out of his arms. “Go shower, okay?” she told him. Her brow was furrowed, and she was trying to catch his eyes, but he wouldn’t let her. He nodded and was in the shower before Chloe returned from the urchin’s room. He turned the water up as hot as he could stand and let it turn his skin pink. He should have known that something like this was going to happen. He should have told Rae-Rae that he was unavailable. He should have just… He rushed through his usual bathroom routine, but he couldn’t make himself get out of the water. He took a moment to breathe in the steam of the room before he viciously turned off the water. The mirror was completely covered in condensation and he sighed. He decided that he didn’t want to deal with his hair at the moment and just toweled it dry. </p>
<p>The Detective was sitting in bed waiting for him, face clean of makeup and hair down (she must have used the urchin’s bathroom to wash her face and take her hair down; it was good that Beatrice hadn’t been alone for long). He’d never seen a more breathtaking sight… She smiled at him and when she held her hand out to him, he went to her. She pushed at him to lie down and once she’d flipped off the light she slipped under the covers beside him. She was so close… He still wouldn’t look at her, had turned away as soon as she settled. She didn’t seem to mind, just touched his back like she had the night before, tracing shapes only she knew and edging carefully around his scars. “We’ll be okay until tomorrow,” Chloe said into the skin between his shoulder blades. </p>
<p>He shuddered at the feel of her lips and breath on him, because it was Chloe and it felt even better than he’d dreamed, her being so close… “We should leave <em>now</em>, Detective…” he bit out. “You don’t- he’s not-”</p>
<p>“It’ll be okay, Lucifer,” she whispered to him, and the steel in her tone told him she wouldn’t budge. He shook his head and scoffed, of course she wouldn’t listen… The silence between them was tense and Chloe sighed. “Is your dad really that dangerous?” she asked him.</p>
<p>He sighed. “He’s more dangerous than anyone you’ve ever dealt with…” he told her. “He… He’s not…” He closed his eyes. “Trust me, Detective, he’s not the sort of man to be on the wrong side of…” He knew he didn’t have to tell her that he’d been on the wrong side of his father for most of his life.</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” she sighed, and Lucifer was ready for her to say that she could never trust him, not after how he’d left her, not after Candy, but she surprised him again as she always did, “I <em>do</em> trust you. But he can’t keep us here…”</p>
<p>Lucifer turned towards her and sat up, pulling her up with him, his hands on her shoulders. His hold was firm, but gentle but he finally caught her eyes with his. “That <em>man</em>,” he growled, “has taken everything that I’ve ever loved, Detective; I won’t let him take either of you from me!” He was breathing hard. And then he realized what he said. He’d buggered it up already, and they had only had one real kiss and it was because of his <em>bloody brother</em>!</p>
<p>Chloe’s hand came up to his face and he sighed as her nails rasped at his stubble. He was begging her with his eyes to take mercy on him, and he knew the moment she decided that she would. “He won’t take us,” she gentled him.</p>
<p>“You don’t know what he’s capable of,” he whispered to her. He didn’t know how to make her understand. </p>
<p>She sighed, and he knew she was done discussing it for now. He released her shoulders and she sunk down under the blanket, he wanted to follow, but… “Lay down with me,” she requested. He sighed, but he did as she asked. He was facing her this time, and she rested her forehead against his. They were quiet for a long time. “Thank you,” she whispered to him. </p>
<p>He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be thanking me for anything…” he sighed, “I’m the one that brought you both here…” </p>
<p>“Lucifer, today wasn’t terrible. Sure, it had some moments but everything else was fun. And I know Trixie had a blast…” she told him. “She’s not going to care that your dad was mean to her, all she’ll remember is the ice skating and the party…”</p>
<p>“Archibald likes to leave lasting impressions, I doubt he’s finished,” Lucifer drawled but Chloe gave him a look and he rolled over on his back. He didn’t mean to keep going on about it, but he was… preoccupied with what his father might do. Except he <em>knew</em> that his father would have something planned. Something appalling, no doubt. They were silent for the longest time; her breathing was even and he thought for a moment that she had fallen asleep. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, can I… can I ask you something?” Chloe whispered. </p>
<p>He sighed. “Of course…” Didn’t mean he would answer, but she could ask whatever she liked…</p>
<p>“When we… our kiss…” she trailed off. </p>
<p>Lucifer’s eyes shot open. They had talked about this but… perhaps he’d tipped his hand too much? Perhaps she… she thought that he wasn’t… that he would never be good enough for her and she knew it somehow. “Yes?” he prompted.</p>
<p>“Did it feel…” she started, but then she sighed. “Never mind,” she whispered, turning away from him. </p>
<p>He clenched his eyes shut, “Perfect?” He turned to her, and she was looking into his eyes already, caught them the moment he’d opened his. </p>
<p>“Lucifer…” she whispered, her fingertips dragging against his stubble.</p>
<p>“Mommy!” a loud, not quite whisper came from the doorway of the urchin’s room. </p>
<p>Chloe sighed, like this was something she was used to. “Yeah, Monkey…”</p>
<p>“It’s too dark in my room, can I sleep with you and Lucifer?” she asked, rubbing at her eye. </p>
<p>“Of course, you can, baby,” Chloe gentled.</p>
<p>The urchin scrambled over him, almost slapping him in the face and he sighed. Of course, the urchin would have to interrupt when he was having a moment with her mother. Lucifer watched in the near dark as Chloe gathered her daughter close, wishing that he could protect them both from whatever his father was planning.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>SO... whos ready???????</p>
<p>;) enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He watched Chloe try to soothe her daughter back to sleep, but whatever had woken the urchin up seemed like it was there to stay. He watched them for the longest time, Chloe smiling tiredly as Trixie babbled on and on, but Lucifer could see how tired they both were. Beatrice must have had a bad dream…Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. Or something had woken her up…</p>
<p>He was about to slip out of bed and check her room when the urchin caught his arm, “Where are you going?" she asked. She was gripping him as tightly as she could. She was scared but of what? </p>
<p>Lucifer tried not to growl. He looked between her and the Detective. Beatrice hadn’t been awake for the confrontation with his father and he didn’t want her to worry about something like that. “To close the door…” he told her. “Keep the darkness out…”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, she released him and snuggled deeper into Chloe’s arms. He could feel both of their eyes on him as he glared suspiciously at the dark room. It was unnaturally dark, and he knew that Chloe had left the bathroom light on for her, but it was off now… He growled low enough so that his Deckers didn’t hear him; he didn’t trust anyone in this house… He pulled the door closed firmly, after dipping in to grab the urchin’s bag and shoes and locked the door. Chloe gave him a flat look in the half-light (probably because she thought he was being paranoid), but Beatrice was frowning at him. She kept frowning at him until he got back into the bed. “You have to snuggle too,” she whispered at him. </p>
<p>He blinked. “What?” </p>
<p>“You have to snuggle too,” she repeated. </p>
<p>“Urchin,” he sighed. “I don’t <em>snuggle</em>.” He frowned deeply as Chloe rolled her eyes at him. </p>
<p>“You and Mommy were snuggling this morning,” she told him. Lucifer sighed and Chloe caught his eyes again as if to say that she had him there.</p>
<p>He grumbled but didn’t protest as the urchin pulled at him. “Oh, alright,” he sighed, because being this close to the Detective was something he’d always take advantage of, and she didn’t seem to mind his closeness so much these days… </p>
<p>Chloe was the one to make the first move, scooting as close as she could while pulling him towards her. Beatrice ended up sandwiched between them, Chloe’s arm slung low over them both. Lucifer wasn’t sure what to do. Was he supposed to hold them or just… The fingers of Chloe’s hand gripped at his back, which almost jolted him into them both. She hushed him, her fingers stroking lightly at the skin of his lower back, and that more than anything let him settle next to them. One of his arms ended up beneath the Detective’s head, Beatrice snuggled in tight to the both of them, and the other laid across them both, like a protective barrier from the dark room. He blinked down at the both of them, Chloe was stroking her daughter’s hair with her free hand, while her lips were pressed against Trixie’s forehead.</p>
<p>Something in Lucifer settled at the sight. They were both safe, with him and nowhere near his father. He didn’t know if he would be able to sleep, but he knew he was going to be staying right where he was until morning. Chloe could give him that look she had earlier all she wanted, he might be paranoid, but it was always better to be safe than sorry when Archibald Godson was involved. And Lucifer knew that his father was planning something, he just knew it.</p>
<p>Chloe and Beatrice’s soft breathing filled the room, creeping into the cracks of his soul and taking residence. He’d never known that… just sharing this space with them, having them this close… it seemed like its very own brand of magic. He tried not to fall asleep, but their resting called to him too, and he found himself falling into a doze. </p>
<p>In the low light of morning, Lucifer’s eyes snapped open. He took a moment to recall where he was and looked down to check that Chloe and the urchin were still with him. He sighed in relief when they were more or less where he’d last seen them. Beatrice was plastered to her mother’s front, one arm slung so her hand rested on his neck, and Chloe was curled around her daughter, her hand resting, completely relaxed on Lucifer’s hip. Lucifer didn’t want to leave them, so he stayed in bed for as long he was able, waiting for one of them to wake up.</p>
<p>This morning it was Chloe. Her eyes opened and he was treated to the softness in them as she gazed at him, the same feeling he had when she’d caressed his cheek the night before. Before the urchin’s interruption. Her lips quirked up at the corners and she brought her hand up to his face again. He sighed and turned into the pressure of her hand. Before long, she pulled away and his eyes opened to watch her place a kiss to Beatrice’s head and smooth the hair from her face. </p>
<p>He looked away. He didn’t want to intrude on their moment. The urchin’s hand was still on his neck, but the Detective didn’t move so he didn’t either. Chloe’s hand settled back against his hip and he sighed at the pressure. He’d always liked it when she stuck by him, and this… this felt like that, but deeper. They’d never really shared a bed before, and the night before he’d been much too tired to give it anymore thought, but now… If the urchin weren’t here… if he had Chloe all to himself, her looking at him like she was now, eyes as soft as her hands and her heart in them, just waiting for him to take it… He would give her every part of him just to touch her like he wanted to, just once…</p>
<p>But the urchin, as precious as she was, was between them and Lucifer couldn’t gather Chloe against his mouth or his body… He brought his hand up from where it had been resting and moved a strand of hair away from Chloe’s face. She was so beautiful with the sun from the window highlighting her hair, he always loved it when she had her hair down… </p>
<p>He didn’t know how long he stayed there, staring at them. He wanted to be a part of what they had. Not just for things like this, but all the time. He’d never found anywhere he felt like he belonged. Except LA, except Lux, but that was just… that was something he’d created for himself. It was times like these, when he was with Chloe, that he felt like someone accepted him. He just didn’t know if it was something she wanted. She certainly acted like it, but… he didn’t know how she ever could. He cupped Chloe’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb as she looked up at him. She gave him a soft smile and pressed in as close as she could. </p>
<p>He wished that he could keep her like this with him forever. That he could have this feeling of being with her no matter where he went or what he faced. He couldn’t though because she could never want to stay with him. No one ever had before, so why would now be any different. And there was still his father to contend with. He just <em>knew</em> that his father had something terrible planned. </p>
<p>He was torn between getting up and staying in bed with them until they both woke. He must have sighed just a tad too loud because Chloe shot him a look. He rolled his eyes and tried to slip out from beneath them, but Beatrice gripped at his neck the moment he moved. He could feel Chloe shaking with silent laughter and glared at her. He just hated to wake the little urchin was all (and he’d woken her up by moving plenty of times, and every single time the Detective had made him deal with the grumpy little hellion). Chloe gently peeled her hand from his neck, and he was able to slip out from under them. He stood there for a moment, just watching them and wondering what he could do to protect them. He wanted to bundle them into the car before anyone woke, but with a glance at the clock he knew it would be impossible. His father would have woken hours ago and Lucifer was sure that his plot had been hatched (though, he had a hunch that his father’s plan had hit a snag the night before, when Beatrice had come into their room). </p>
<p>Lucifer would fight tooth and nail to make sure that he got the Detective and her urchin home. He would do what he could to go with them, but if it was required, he would stay and send them home. Maze knew what to do with Lux if he couldn’t make it back. He’d tell Chloe to get a message to Maze and she would take care of it. He knew that she would know he was gone forever. His father might not kill him, but he would do it himself if his father tried to keep him. He refused to become a prisoner again, especially of his father’s. Archibald Godson was a terrible man and a ruthless warden. Lucifer wasn’t looking forward to what he might have to do. </p>
<p>He saw Chloe watching him with a frown and sighed. He hadn’t promised her that he wouldn’t worry, but he knew she wouldn’t want to hear him ask to leave again so early in the morning. He was just about to get one of his suits to change into when the urchin woke and blinked up at him. She frowned and he tilted his head at her. “Why did you get up?” she whined at him. </p>
<p>He blinked. “I… it’s morning?” he offered. It wasn’t a <em>lie</em> but it wasn’t the real reason either. She frowned deeper and turned to snuggle into her mother’s arms. His eyes narrowed. Did she know that he wasn’t being entirely truthful? She was unsettlingly good at knowing things about him sometimes, and it always made him suspicious of her. </p>
<p>“You should lay back down because I’m really <em>really</em> cold,” she told him. And she sounded like her mother when she ordered him around at work. Or anywhere else. </p>
<p>He blinked at her, but she was too busy letting Chloe bundle her closer. He knew the urchin wasn’t nearly as cold as she claimed, but she did look rather pitiful, all shivers and the blankets pulled up around her chin… He sighed heavily, rolled his eyes, and grumbled as he got back into bed. Beatrice clung to him immediately, and he knew he’d fallen into a trap. “Bloody ridiculous,” he growled under his breath, but he wrapped his arms around her. Chloe pouted at him and he rolled his eyes again, pulling her to him so that she’d stop looking at him like that too. </p>
<p>She chuckled at him and he glared at her, but he thought it wasn’t as effective as it could have been because her daughter was cuddling under his chin. After a moment, he pulled the two of them closer and closed his eyes. He supposed that he should enjoy this for as long as possible, because it might be the last time he ever gets to be with them. This was the first and only trip he’d ever taken with them, and he wished that there had been more. The Detective hated when he spoiled them, but he just… he wanted them to know that he cared about them and he didn’t really know how else to show it. The urchin didn’t seem to care what he gave her, but she was always so <em>grabby</em> like she was being now. It always took him a moment to get used to it. Unless he was protecting her from something. Then he was the grabby one. But only out of necessity. </p>
<p>Chloe was grabby, but not as much as her urchin. And he never minded that she would cling to him sometimes. It usually was at a time he would like her to grab him. Any part would do. He sighed as she caressed his face, her thumb smoothing over his eyebrow. She always knew what he needed when he was feeling like he was now. Not that he’d ever felt quite like this before, not in front of her, not about something this close to home.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to get up again, but he knew that they would have to soon. His mother expected everyone at breakfast even if they were terribly hungover. Amenadiel would be, which made Lucifer want to smirk. As funny as Amenadiel was when he was drunk, he was ten times funnier when he was annoyed and hungover. Especially if Razzie got to him first. <em>That</em> would be the only good thing about breakfast, because he was sure his father would try something before the meal was over. </p>
<p>There was a knock at the bedroom door a little while after that, once Lucifer had settled into a light doze, in fact. He’d been warm and once the urchin had fallen back to sleep, her even breathing had made him relax. He was annoyed, but he slipped out of bed to answer the door. “Raphael,” he yawned.</p>
<p>“Breakfast time, brother,” he said. “Sorry to wake you, but you know how Mom is,” he added with a shrug. </p>
<p>Lucifer sighed and rubbed at his face. He opened his mouth to tell him that they would be right down when he felt someone tug at his hand. He looked down and saw that the urchin was gripping his last two fingers and rubbing at her eye with a fist. “You’re a’sposed to be cuddling,” she yawned at him. </p>
<p>“It’s breakfast time, little love,” he told her, trying to gently shake his hand out of her hold. She really was unnecessarily grabby…</p>
<p>She pouted at him and leaned against his leg. Raphael chuckled at them and said that Mum had given them twenty minutes to get ready. He rolled his eyes and closed the door after his brother had walked away. “Do we <em>have</em> to go to breakfast?” she sighed up at him. </p>
<p>“Unfortunately,” he grumbled. He turned to look at Chloe, who was sitting up in bed stretching like she wasn’t about to walk into an ambush disguised as a civilized breakfast. He urged the urchin to go and get dressed. Once she was out of earshot he slumped down onto the bed with Chloe. She was sitting up, trying to tame her hair out of her face, and he watched her as she looked down at him. She gave him a soft smile and carded a hand through his hair. “We don’t have to go to breakfast you know,” he told her softly. </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” she sighed. </p>
<p>“I could tell Alex to bring the car around,” he urged. “He’d tell them we’d left afterwards, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about father or-”</p>
<p>“Lucifer.” She didn’t quite snap at him, but she did sound annoyed. He sighed and sat up, facing away from her and covering his face with his hands. She sighed softly, and he flinched as she placed a hand on his back. She paused for half a second and then she started running her fingernails lightly up and down the center of his back. He shuddered, but he didn’t pull away. “I know you hate it here,” she said, “but it’s almost over. We can leave after breakfast if you’re still worried about it, but it’ll be okay…”</p>
<p>He shook his head, “I hope you’re right, darling…”</p>
<p>Chloe went to go check on the urchin and he got most of his suit on before the little hellion jumped at him. She snagged him around the waist, and he gave up buttoning his vest until she was done. She didn’t let him go and he sighed, “You’re being terribly clingy today, urchin.”</p>
<p>She just sighed deeply and held on tighter. “Can I sit with you at breakfast again?” she asked him on a pout. He rolled his eyes and smoothed a hand over her hair. He was tempted to let her, but she just- what if she got something sticky on him? “I promise I won’t eat anything sticky,” she told him. He narrowed his eyes at her. He was more than sure she couldn’t read minds… Then again, the urchin knew him pretty well, so perhaps she wasn’t <em>really</em> reading his mind.</p>
<p>He shook his head, more at himself than at her, and told her that she could sit next to him if she liked. “Mother and father wouldn’t like it if you sat with me, little love,” he told her, gently stroking at her forehead with his thumb. She agreed quietly with a yawn and he huffed a soft chuckle at her. She’d worn herself out yesterday, and she was grumpy because they had to wake up early. She released him and he finished dressing, packing their bags away and checking his old room to make sure she hadn’t left anything under the bed. </p>
<p>He shut the door behind him just as Chloe was stepping out of the bathroom. She looked beautiful and she offered him a smile as he stared at her. He shook himself out of it when she started for her bag. “You really are eager to get out of here, aren’t you?” she motioned to his and Trixie’s bag sitting by the door. </p>
<p>He looked down and fiddled with his cufflinks. “I would have packed yours, darling, but the last time I tried you almost bit my head off,” he told her. Then he smirked and continued with a purr, “What <em>were</em> you trying to hide, Detective?”</p>
<p>She gave him one of those looks of hers, the one that meant he’d better behave himself in front of her daughter (but she packed her bag and set it next to theirs once she was done). Probably in front of the rest of his family too. Well, he would behave himself if they did. Not that he thought they would. He opened the door to see that Mr. Wooster was about to knock and smirked. “Just the man I was thinking of,” Lucifer grinned. </p>
<p>“What can I do for you, Master Morningstar?” Mr. Wooster asked with a small bow. </p>
<p>“You can take these down to the car and pull it ‘round,” he smirked. “But don’t let anyone know; you know how Archibald gets about that sort of thing this early in the morning.”</p>
<p>Alex bowed again, more playful than anything else, and took their bags down the stairs. Chloe gave him a look, but she didn’t say anything about what he’d asked the butler to do. He sighed deeply, and followed the Detective out of the room, stopping short when the urchin grabbed his hand. She started pulling him along and he let her until they reached the stairs. He would have pulled her into his arms if his mother hadn’t appeared at the bottom of them. “Well?” she barked,  crossing her arms. </p>
<p>“We’re coming, Mum,” he sighed, annoyed, and offered Chloe his arm as they started down the stairs. The urchin was still gripping his hand, and he had to remember to slow his steps for her. His mother was tapping her foot impatiently at them the entire time and Lucifer had to stifle a growl. </p>
<p>“Your father was very insistent on waiting for you,” she told him once they’d got to the bottom. </p>
<p>Lucifer froze. He knew Chloe was looking at him, he could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn’t unfreeze himself. He knew it! He knew that something like this was going to happen. It was all he could do not to snarl at his mother. He followed her into the dining room and found the closest three chairs. One was next to Amenadiel, and he took that one, made sure the urchin was between him and Chloe, and Chloe was seated next to Razzie. She was a lesser threat compared to his father, but he hoped that she wouldn’t be one at all. </p>
<p>“So good of you to join us, Lucifer,” his father droned. “It’s good that you can still do as your told.” </p>
<p>Lucifer couldn’t help but bristle. “I’m not here because <em>you</em> asked me to be,” he growled. </p>
<p>“No,” Archibald sighed, “I don’t suppose you are.” There was complete silence at the table as everyone started to eat. Lucifer watched everyone else at the table eat for a moment before he picked up his fork and started on the plate in front of him. Before he could bring the fork to his mouth, his father spoke again. “Lucifer, I was told you had a good time last night.”</p>
<p>Lucifer froze. “Were you,” he tried not to growl. </p>
<p>He knew that the only reason he saw his father smirk was because he’d been watching him so closely. “Yes. It seems that the key to that is this little <em>family</em>,” he practically sneered, “you’ve made for yourself.” </p>
<p>The blood started rushing through his ears, <em>this</em> had been exactly what he’d been afraid of. He took a moment to gather himself, to think about what he was going to say but he knew that it would be absolutely crucial, his only chance to get them out of this dreadful place. “The key?” he put down his fork and clenched his fist. He could feel Chloe’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t look away from his father. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Archibald gave him a self-satisfied smirk, “the key.”</p>
<p>Lucifer felt his stomach drop. “The key to what exactly?” he was growling now, and he ignored Amenadiel when he held out a placating hand. </p>
<p>“The key to keeping you here, to having your wings put on again,” his father said. “I tried to get your,” he looked at Trixie and sneered, “<em>child</em> last night, but I didn’t account for her being a light sleeper.” Lucifer froze (he’d <em>known</em> that there had been someone in her room last night, and it made him very <em>very</em> angry) and his father continued with that blasted smirk, “But don’t worry, my son, they’ll get their wings in time. Once they’ve proved themselves to me. However long that may take…” And at that, Michael laughed before Gabriel’s elbow cut him off.</p>
<p>“No,” Lucifer said softly. </p>
<p>Archibald lost any and all geniality. “What.” He spit it out.</p>
<p>Lucifer stood and straightened his cufflinks. “No,” he said simply.</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Amenadiel warned. </p>
<p>Lucifer turned to him; his eyes cold. “No!” he roared. The room went silent and he felt Chloe move beside him, and he knew she was holding her daughter. “You can’t have them!” he growled. He held out a hand beside him and as soon as Chloe grabbed it, he backed her towards the door.</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” his mother scoffed, “you know you shouldn’t talk to your father like that. Besides, you’ll be happy here with them. This way we can keep them safe from you.”</p>
<p>Lucifer gaped at his mother. At his brothers and sisters who wouldn’t say anything in his defense. </p>
<p>“We don’t need anyone to keep us safe from him!” Chloe said, stepping up to his side. She squeezed his hand and that helped him breathe easier. </p>
<p>Archibald stood, and Lucifer had a moment of thinking his father used to be taller. “Who do you think you are to speak that way to me?” he growled. </p>
<p>Chloe’s eyes narrowed and Lucifer slipped closer to her, his arm going around her waist, ready to drag her and the urchin away as soon as things started to go a little too south. “I don’t give a damn who you think you are!” she said, her voice was steel and Lucifer had never seen anyone defy her when she spoke like that. “You can’t have him. Or us,” she was glaring at them. </p>
<p>Beatrice gripped at the sleeve of his jacket, and Archibald looked like he was about to have a fit. “Lucifer, I thought you would have better control of your woman,” he sneered. </p>
<p>“How dare you!” Lucifer shouted, probably surprising everyone if the looks on their faces could mean anything. “The Detective,” he bit out, standing as tall as he could, “doesn’t belong to anyone!” He tried to stalk forwards, but the urchin gripped him tighter and pulled desperately at his sleeve. That brought him back to where he was, to who he was with, to what his father would do if he stepped away from them for even a moment. “I’m taking them with me, and I’m leaving,” he growled. </p>
<p>“You think you can just come into my home after I’ve invited you back, and then <em>refuse</em> to do as I say?” his father barked out a bitter, dark laugh. </p>
<p>“Invited!” Lucifer spat. “Like you didn’t tell me that I could never return! That I was ‘evil’! That you wished I had been the one that drown that day!” Lucifer scoffed. “I owe you nothing! I made me, Father, I built myself from the ground up! I found people that care about me!” Chloe squeezed his hand and it made him feel brave. This time… this time, he would be the one to leave of his own volition. The room was silent as he caught his breath, but he continued before his father could speak. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he sneered, “but we really do have to be going.”</p>
<p>He practically dragged Chloe to the foyer, but they were stopped by a somewhat reluctant looking Gabriel at the door. Lucifer snarled at him, but he didn’t back down. “I have orders, brother…” he said. </p>
<p>“Then I’ll tear you apart on the way out,” Lucifer growled. </p>
<p>He stepped forward but someone settled a hand on his arm, and he growled lowly even when he saw that it was Razzie trying to get past. “Gabe, get out of their way,” she said. That made Lucifer stop growling. </p>
<p>“But! Raz!” Gabirel started. </p>
<p>“Let them go or I’ll tell Dad about which of your tattoos you’re <em>actually</em> getting removed,” Razzie said low and dangerous. </p>
<p>Gabriel paled and looked around the room before violently throwing himself into the coatrack next to the door and making quite a bit of a ruckus as Razzie led them out the door. She rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind them, knowing it would fit the scene he had decided to make. </p>
<p>“Razzie?” Lucifer asked. </p>
<p>She walked them towards the car he had waiting and slipped him the keys. “I saw Gabe go to Dad last night during the party, I knew there would be… but I didn’t think that Dad would do something like this, but when I saw Alex with your bags I knew you thought he might…” she sighed. “Rae-Rae didn’t think Dad would, but she convinced him to let it be me and Gabe to try and stop you. She knew I knew his secret.”</p>
<p>Lucifer watched as Chloe placed the urchin in the back seat. “Thank you,” he sighed, “just… Tell Rae-Rae thank you, and Raphael. I don’t think he knew what was happening…”</p>
<p>Razzie nodded, “Tell Chloe it was nice to meet her. And…” She sighed deeply. “Chloe is really good for you, Lu. It seems like she really makes you happy.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “She does,” he said softly. </p>
<p>“Good. Make sure she keeps you, okay?” </p>
<p>He told her he would do his best and got into the car, he rolled down the window, but he didn’t know what to say. Razzie shook her head at him and told him to go, that she would miss him (that she was glad she got to see him again). He didn’t look at the rearview until he was pulling out of the gate, but she had already disappeared back inside. They’d only really made it out because of Razzie. He would have only been capable of so much, but Razzie had definitely been on their side. Perhaps… perhaps he could invite her and Rae-Rae to Lux for a visit… Perhaps the Detective had been just a little right.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oops forgot yesterday didn't i?? personal reasons, sorry guys but at least you're getting 2 chapters today????? right????</p>
<p>enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He kept driving and once he felt like they were far enough away from his father, he glanced at Beatrice in the back seat; she was looking between him and her mother like she was worried about something. “Alright, little love?” he made sure his voice was soft when he spoke. </p>
<p>She looked up at him in the rear view and he could tell she was upset. “Your dad isn’t nice at all,” she told him.</p>
<p>He tried not to laugh, but the bitter chuckle bubbled out of him before he could stop it. “No… I don’t suppose he is,” he said. Chloe gripped his hand, pulling it from the white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel. She pulled it onto her lap and ran her fingers over his fist until he relaxed it. She always knew how to make him feel better. Even if it was only a little. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry I made us stay,” Chloe whispered to him. She kept a firm grip on his hand and he was glad that she seemed to have forgotten that she didn’t need to pretend anymore. He wasn’t proud of it, but he wasn’t going to remind her that she didn’t need to. He just- he wanted it to be real so badly…</p>
<p>“No, darling,” he sighed. He brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her palm (he was going to savor all the little moments she gave him, until she told him that she didn’t like him that way and they should stop acting like they were together). “I shouldn’t have brought either of you there, not when he’s so intent on destroying everything I’ve ever made of myself…” He sighed again, and let Chloe have his hand back (she was refusing to let go and he couldn’t quite believe it). “Perhaps he’s right and I’m evil incarna-”</p>
<p>“Lucifer,” Chloe said firmly, cutting him off. He glanced at her, ready for her to tell him that he was exactly what his father always said he was. “He’s not.” She said it like she believed it, and he gaped at her (it was a good thing they were at a red light, because he was beyond shocked). “Whatever he’s told you, he’s wrong,” she looked up at him. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, the light’s green!” Beatrice piped up from the back. </p>
<p>He turned forwards almost violently and drove in shocked silence. She didn’t think he was evil. She’d spent time around his family, and she didn’t… She still wanted to be around him. He didn’t think he would ever understand why she didn’t think of him like that. He didn’t know how long the silence in the car lasted, but eventually he heard Beatrice’s stomach growl. He thought of breakfast with an acute pang of guilt. “What would you lot like to eat?” he asked suddenly, forcing a grin and trying to sound like his usual self. </p>
<p>“Can we find somewhere with hot chocolate? And a Christmas tree?!” Beatrice asked. Her whole face lit up, and his grin faded into a fond smile.</p>
<p>“As long as you eat real food, Monkey,” Chloe told her. She was smiling too, and she still hadn’t let go of his hand.</p>
<p>He looked around and turned down a street he vaguely remembered and drove for a few minutes until he saw a small diner. It was covered in Christmas lights and there was a small, overly garlanded tree in one of the windows. It would definitely have hot chocolate at this time of year. “Here we are,” he said brightly, his smile a bit forced. Chloe squeezed his hand before they got out of the car. </p>
<p>Trixie immediately grabbed his hand as they started across the parking lot and he sighed. She was <em>never</em> going to leave him alone again, and he’ll be terrorized by her sticky, grabby hands for the rest of his bloody life (if the Detective could stomach him for that long, of course). Perhaps the urchin would become less clingy the more she grew. “Do you think they have French toast?” she asked him, swinging their arms back and forth. </p>
<p>He tried to shake her off, but that only made her swings more enthusiastic. He sighed, long suffering, but resigned. “Probably,” he grumbled. </p>
<p>Chloe led them to a booth, the sign telling them to seat themselves, and she tucked in close to the window before her daughter could. Lucifer watched as she smiled when Trixie stuck her tongue out at her over the table. He smiled at them briefly before sliding in next to the Detective. She turned her smile towards him, and he couldn’t help that he smiled at her in return.</p>
<p>A waitress came up to their booth and Chloe ordered for them (clearly, she had been using her Detective skills before the whole meal had gone to hell, as it were). At least neither of them seemed to care that his father had… It was his fault that his father had even had the idea in the first place, and he <em>had</em> brought them there, had let his family see him be as close to happy as he could get… He really had no idea how they could still stand to be near him. He was the reason they’d almost been kept prisoner. And yet here they were, enjoying his company like nothing terrible had almost happened (could it get any worse than his father almost kidnapping them?). </p>
<p>He looked surprised when the waitress dropped their drinks off, his coffee and their hot chocolates. He hadn’t been paying attention when Chloe had ordered for them. He wondered how she knew what he’d wanted for breakfast. </p>
<p>“What do you think Santa is gonna bring me for Christmas?” Trixie asked, a smear of whip cream on her top lip. </p>
<p>Lucifer recoiled briefly, but rolled his eyes, “Surely, you don’t still be-”</p>
<p>Chloe elbowed him in the ribs, and he frowned deeply at her. “What did you put on your list?” she asked her daughter. She gave him her ‘you-better-keep-your-mouth-shut’ look and he turned away from her with a huff. </p>
<p>He watched Chloe as the urchin started listing things off. Number three on the list was “cash” which Lucifer made a mental note of so he could sneak it in where he knew the Detective wouldn’t be looking. He turned to Chloe. She was smiling brightly at her daughter, the sun through the window highlighting her hair and her eyes… so blue and sparkling. She turned that look towards him for just a moment and he knew that any second the urchin was probably going to tell them that they were being ‘mushy’ but he couldn’t bring himself to care. She had looked at him like she, well, like she <em>cared</em>, and he just might love her, so he couldn’t help but do the same.</p>
<p>He only looked away when he heard a clatter of plates next to him. The waitress placed their plates in front of them and he tried not to smile. Of course, the Detective knew how he liked his eggs. She gave him a happy smile before she cut into her French toast, just like her daughter. He rolled his eyes, because he knew it was both of their favorite and because he knew for a fact that his take on it would have been better. </p>
<p>Lucifer started in on his bacon and Chloe immediately tried to trade him a bite of it for a bite of her French toast. He was a bit reluctant to agree, but she started to pout, and he couldn’t help leaning forwards the tiniest bit before he remembered himself. She had leaned in too, like she was expecting it, one of her hands against his chest. He couldn’t make himself close the gap, but he felt her nose brush against his before he made himself turn towards the fork she’d been holding near his face. He took hold of her wrist and their eyes caught for a moment hers flicked towards her daughter and then back to his. He brought it to his mouth and took it, keeping eye contact with her the whole time. He chuckled when she just gaped at him, but she still took the rest of his piece of bacon. </p>
<p>They ate quickly enough, and Lucifer tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes as the waitress offered them a “Merry Christmas”. There was nothing merry about the holidays this year, in his opinion. Well, except for the ball they’d been to and the ice-skating rink. But his father had ruined the rest of what might have been an alright time. He was just glad that his father had decided to enact his plan that morning, instead of waiting until the end of their trip (the less time Archibald Godson had to plan something the better!). His father used to lay longer schemes, but he supposed that Lucifer hadn’t given him much time to do so (he hadn’t guaranteed Rae-Rae a set number of days and he supposed that it had worked in his favor, the days he’d told the Detective had been when his Mother said she expected them to “have room for guests”). He’d been on the end of his father’s games before, but he’d just been lucky that this time, Chloe and her urchin had made him extra cautious. </p>
<p>Chloe managed to snag the keys from him and this time, she was the one to tell him that he needed to get some sleep. “You look tired, Lucifer,” she told him, and then she just pulled out of the parking lot like that was the end of it. He gave her a look, but he leaned his seat back so he could at least be comfortable. He fell asleep sometime after the Detective had turned on the radio and she and the urchin had started a sing along of sorts (this was of course, after she’d placed that stuffed toy of hers, Miss Alien, by his head and told him “she’ll help you sleep better, Lucifer! She always helps me!”). </p>
<p>When he woke, they were parked, and it wasn’t quite dark. Chloe and Beatrice weren’t in the car and for a moment he panicked before he sat up and saw that they were parked at a convenience store. The keys were still in the ignition, so he knew they were close. He stepped out of the car to stretch and smiled when he saw Trixie through the front window of the store. She caught sight of him and waved in that frantic way children have. He chuckled but waved back. He tried to stretch out the aching muscles in his back. Maybe if they’d still been at his parents’ Chloe would have given him a massage… Wishful thinking, he supposed. Terribly wishful. Unrealistic, in fact, no matter how tempting the thought. </p>
<p>He watched the urchin babble at her mother as they came out of the store and Chloe smiled at him when she saw him. Trixie ran to him and hugged him around the middle. He sighed heavily. “Urchin,” he greeted, a hand on her head. </p>
<p>“You slept almost all the way home!” she told him.</p>
<p>He opened his mouth to respond, but Chloe came up to him and placed a hand on his chest. His face went slack, and he stared at her. “Hey,” she said to him, soft and sweet. </p>
<p>“Hello,” he said. He leaned down at the same time she leaned up, but he managed to stop himself before his lips met hers. His nose skimmed along hers for the briefiest moment. She met his eyes, unsure, and then her fingertips brushed, barely there against his jawline. Helpless, he fell into her and placed the gentlest of kisses to her lips. He’d said that kissing her last night had been perfect, and he stood by it. But kissing her now, kissing her here, was beyond that. Kissing her made him breathless, but what’s more, he had no idea that she’d wanted to. She’d taken him by surprise, and he couldn’t quite believe it. </p>
<p>“Mommy! Can I have my candy bar?” Trixie asked, causing them to break apart. She was hanging out of the front seat, the chocolate bar in her hand. </p>
<p>“Not until after dinner, Monkey,” she called. “Come on, we’re twenty minutes from home.” She walked away from him, and he couldn’t help watching her. She and the urchin got into the car, and she had to give him a look before he followed. </p>
<p>“Speaking of ‘dinner’, Detective,” he started, all suave and smooth as he buckled his seatbelt, but then he stalled, suddenly nervous. She looked at him, her hand on the keys and her eyes dazzling him beyond words. He gathered his breath. “Would you like to go out with me? After the holidays, perhaps?” </p>
<p>Chloe’s eyes snapped back to his, a small smile made its way across her face. </p>
<p>“Mom!” they were interrupted. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Monkey?” she sighed. </p>
<p>“You’re saying yes to Lucifer, right?” she leaned forwards as Lucifer turned back to look at her. “You were talking to Ella on the phone the other day and I heard yo-”</p>
<p>“Trixie, baby, I thought you were reading your book,” Chloe said suddenly, and Lucifer raised a brow as the urchin winked at him before he turned back around. </p>
<p>“What <em>did</em> you tell Miss Lopez, Detective?” he teased her. </p>
<p>“Shut up!” she replied, her face turning pink. He grinned at her until she sighed at him. “I’m not telling you what Ella and I talk about over the phone,” she said. </p>
<p>He pouted at her, but she just shook her head. “Darling,” he whined. </p>
<p>“Yes,” was all she said. </p>
<p>His eyes snapped to hers. “Yes?”</p>
<p>“I’ll go out to dinner with you,” she said softly. </p>
<p>He knew he was looking at her like she’d just handed him the moon, so he looked down at his lap with a small, pleased smile on his lips. He wouldn’t usually be this shy, not around anyone, but Chloe… Well, she talked about him on the phone to Miss Lopez and that was… He was pleased to say the least. </p>
<p>She surprised him by reaching for his hand after she’d started the car. He looked over at her, but she was just watching the road. He caressed her fingers with his thumb and sighed with a small smile. This morning he’d thought- how could she- his father had planned to kidnap them! And she still wanted to… He didn’t understand it, but somehow, she wanted him… He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had ever done that... had wanted him, had chose him.</p>
<p>She looked over at him and gave him a bright, brief smile before turning back to the road. She was absolutely beautiful, infinitely divine and he would never know what he’d done to deserve any part of her that she’d ever given him. But she had. And she still wanted to, it seemed, because she hadn’t let go of his hand. </p>
<p>Soon enough (a bit too soon, in his opinion) they arrived at the Detective’s apartment. He didn’t want to leave them, so when Chloe invited him in, he carried their bags in for them. And then he made his way to the kitchen to check the fridge. </p>
<p>“Lucifer, you don’t have to cook for us!” Chloe said, after she’d returned from helping Trixie start to unpack. She came up to him and placed a hand on his chest. She was stroking small patterns against the fabric of his suit jacket with her fingers. “There’s probably nothing in there anyway…” she sighed. “We’ll just order something, and I’ll have to go to the store tomorrow, so we have something to eat tomorrow and Christmas…”</p>
<p>He watched her as she sighed. She was thinking about what she would have to add to her grocery list, and he felt like he had never loved her more than he did in this moment. His hand came up to rest against her hip and she leaned into him. It felt natural to have her this close, and he smiled down at her. When she met his eyes her face softened, and she stretched up on her toes to kiss him. His entire body relaxed into hers and he felt her lips smiling against his. He couldn’t help the one that broke out across his own. Her eyes were shining with- well, he didn’t know <em>what</em> it was, but they were bright and full and made his breath catch. </p>
<p>“Mommy, what are we gonna have for dinner?” Trixie asked. </p>
<p>Chloe didn’t look away from him. “What do you feel like eating, Monkey?” she asked. She reached up and stroked his cheek before she turned to her daughter. She didn’t go far, leaning into his body as she turned. His arm slipped around her, and he pulled her against him. Her hand came up and cupped his elbow, stroking it with her fingers. </p>
<p>“We’re gonna make pizza tomorrow, right?” Trixie asked, her nose scrunching as she looked up at the both of them. </p>
<p>“Right,” Chloe said. “Our Christmas Eve pizza.”</p>
<p>Trixie nodded, and crossed her arms thinking hard. “Spaghetti?” she shrugged.</p>
<p>Lucifer raised a brow, “Just spaghetti?”</p>
<p>“Me and Mommy <em>like</em> spaghetti,” she told him, narrowing her eyes. </p>
<p>Lucifer opened his mouth to reply that everyone <em>liked</em> spaghetti, but Chloe’s hand slipped up from his elbow, the one attached to the arm that was holding her to him, and she squeezed his bicep. He looked down at her, confused about what she wanted, but she wasn’t looking at him, she was just telling the urchin that they could have spaghetti. </p>
<p>Chloe pulled away from him and started rooting through the pantry for the spaghetti noodles. He blinked after her, but the urchin grabbed his hand and his eyes snapped to hers. “Lucifer?” she asked him. </p>
<p>“Urchin?” he replied. </p>
<p>“Do you think Santa will know that I’m not at your mommy’s house anymore?” </p>
<p>“Santa?”</p>
<p>She nodded. “Mommy told me that he’d know if I went with you guys just in case we had to stay longer, but does he know we’re back here now?”</p>
<p>Lucifer gaped down at her for a moment. The Detective had stopped him from telling her that Santa wasn’t real earlier that morning, so he knew he shouldn’t do that now, either… “Yes?” he said after a moment of thinking. </p>
<p>“You don’t sound sure…” she narrowed her eyes at him.</p>
<p>He just blinked at her. He tried to shake his hand free, but she held on tight.</p>
<p>“I thought all grownups knew everything about Santa…” she was still glaring at him with those narrowed eyes of hers (like her mother’s when they were at work and talking to a suspect or when he’d done something inappropriate). “Didn’t you get presents from Santa when you were little?” her head tilted to the side when she decided to stop glaring at him. </p>
<p>“No,” he told her. </p>
<p>She looked stricken. “Mommy!” she cried, and Lucifer watched as Chloe dropped the pot she’d just grabbed on the ground with a loud clatter. Trixie pulled Lucifer into the kitchen and held his hand even tighter.</p>
<p>“Trixie, please-” she started.</p>
<p>“Mommy, Lucifer’s never gotten a present from Santa!” </p>
<p>Chloe blinked down at her daughter and then looked up at him. “Well, Monkey, there are a lot of families that don’t celebrate Christmas the way we do,” she sighed. She picked the pot up off the ground and set in on the counter. </p>
<p>“But his mommy had a lot of Christmas trees, and Christmas trees mean that Santa comes…” she looked upset and Lucifer sighed. </p>
<p>“Little love,” he started, and when she looked up at him, he knelt down to look her in the eye. “I didn’t live there when I was small so, I never got presents from Santa.” She looked so sad that he placed a hand on her face and stroked at her cheek with his thumb. “It’s alright, darling,” he murmured to her.</p>
<p>She nodded, but she wound her arms around his neck and didn’t let go until he’d hugged her back. “I’m sorry you never got presents from Santa when you were a kid,” she told him. </p>
<p>“That’s alright, urchin,” he gave her a gentle smile. </p>
<p>She ran off and Lucifer sat himself at the kitchen bar and watched as Chloe filled her pot with water. She wasn’t looking at him, but he knew she could tell he was watching her. She must have known that the urchin was going to want spaghetti tonight, because she had a packet of ground beef on the counter (and he knew he'd heard the microwave going earlier, but he hadn't thought that she'd actually use it to defrost something, he tried not to let her see him glare at the package next to her). He’d never really been here to watch <em>her</em> cook. He was the one that usually cooked (he’d showed up more than a few times when she was setting dinner on the table, which was different), but watching her do this was…  it felt so domestic.  </p>
<p>“What?” she asked. She was stirring the meat around in a pan, but she was looking at him with those eyes of hers. Blue and perfect and all sorts of striking. </p>
<p>He chuckled. “Nothing, Detective,” he sighed with a soft smile. He really was fond of her…</p>
<p>“Okay, weirdo,” she huffed out a laugh at him. Her smile turned softer the longer she looked at him. But eventually she had to look away. </p>
<p>The urchin joined him at the bar and his attention was taken from Chloe against his will. Well, almost stolen. He couldn’t help but stare at her as the urchin babbled at him about how much she liked ice skating and that she hoped she could see Rae-Rae and Razzie again. </p>
<p>“Do you think they’ll visit, Lucifer?” she asked him.</p>
<p>He gave her a gentle smile, “If I ask them to, little love.” She lit up and he shook his head at her with a soft smirk. Chloe was smiling at him when he looked up at her. Perhaps Raphael was right… perhaps… Perhaps he was a part of their family… He wanted to ask, to make sure, but he didn’t know if it was too soon in their relationship, such as it was. Though, he had been around for a while and Beatrice was familiar with him. Familiar enough to climb on him no matter where he was sitting, it seemed. </p>
<p>“Trixie, you can’t climb on Lucifer when he’s in one of the tall chairs, they could fall over,” Chloe sighed. The little bugger was hanging off of his arm and had a foot poised on the lowest rung of his chair like she was getting ready to heave herself into his arms. </p>
<p>What impressed Lucifer was that when she said that she was facing the other way and had been before the urchin had got up. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her. Maybe she <em>and</em> the urchin had mind reading powers…</p>
<p>Trixie just pouted, but she kept pulling at his arm like she was trying to get him to go with her. He pouted at Chloe but she just smiled at him, at the both of them, and it made him want to hold her close. Eventually, he let the urchin pull him to the living room. She told him that they had to turn the fairy lights on because it was “almost Christmas”. </p>
<p>He helped her plug the lights on the tree in and chuckled at her as she sat on the floor and stared at it. She looked up at him and gave him a smile. For some reason, it made him sit next to her on the floor. They were quiet for the longest time, the only sound in the room was Chloe cooking. “Aren’t they pretty?” she whispered to him. </p>
<p>He looked at her, but she was staring at the tree. He looked back at the tree. “They are,” he told her softly. </p>
<p>“Mommy thinks my favorite thing about Christmas is Santa, but it’s the tree,” she sighed. She leaned against him and he tensed for a moment. She just sighed again. </p>
<p>He looked down at her. “You don’t care about the presents?” he asked her with a raised brow. She gave him a look which made him chuckle at her. “The fairy lights? Really?” he asked her. </p>
<p>“Mmhm,” she nodded. There was another moment of quiet where the only noise was the water boiling in the kitchen. He’d been around them when their apartment was quiet like this, but in the low light, with the Christmas tree twinkling in front of him… He felt… he’d never felt like this before. </p>
<p>“Come on, you two,” the Detective called, breaking the quiet. “Trix, go wash your hands, Lucifer, will you set the table, babe?”</p>
<p>The urchin rushed off and Lucifer sighed. He went to grab the plates from Chloe, but she held on to them and he blinked at her. She leaned up, waiting for a kiss, he knew, so he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was gentle and quick, and he almost dropped the plates when she moved away from him. He watched her smile at him and once she shooed him towards the table, he finally turned from her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so heres the second chapter of the day!! theres only one more after this, i'll do the big ole whatever on tomorrows chapter!!!</p>
<p>enjoy guys!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was a little distracted as he set the plates on the table. Especially when Chloe came up beside him, brushing against him as she went, and put the forks in their proper places. Lucifer leaned into her, was about to kiss her, when Trixie popped up at the table and started chanting “spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti!” over and over again. He rolled his eyes, but he filled her plate before she could keep going. Chloe just smiled at Trixie and then turned to him. Her grin never dimmed, and his heart felt like it was soaring. </p>
<p>Chloe next to him at the table, the urchin across from them, suddenly more animated than she had been by the tree. He was a little confused about that, but it didn’t seem like it was anything to be concerned about. He was worried that the deal with his father would bother her in some way, but she and the Detective didn’t seem like they were worried. Chloe had her hand placed on his knee and whenever he could he covered it with his own, their fingers tangling together like they’d always belonged that way. He had never felt like this during the holidays, had never felt like someone cared about him at this time of year… He looked at Chloe and the urchin. They were smiling at each other and it felt almost perfect. </p>
<p>Once they had all finished eating Chloe looked between the both of them, her eyes sparkling, and then she asked, “What movie are we going to watch?”</p>
<p>Trixie sprang up from the table, “<em>The Santa Clause</em>!” </p>
<p>Lucifer groaned. </p>
<p>Chloe patted him on the chest as she stood, her and Trixie’s plates stacked in her hand, “We’ll watch <em>Die Hard</em> when she does to bed, babe.” </p>
<p>“No fair!” Trixie pouted. “Maze said I was old enough to watch that this year!”</p>
<p>“Maze thinks that knives are appropriate for toddlers, Monkey, you’re not old enough to watch it yet,” Chloe sighed. Lucifer didn’t know what was so bad about <em>Die Hard</em>, but he knew that the Detective didn’t like it when he butted into her parenting in front of the urchin.</p>
<p>He’d just let Maze watch it with the urchin later. </p>
<p>He took the dishes from Chloe’s hand and shooed them off towards the television. She gave him the look she usually did when he insisted on doing the dishes, but she’d stopped telling him a long time ago that guests shouldn’t do the dishes even if they cooked. </p>
<p>When he joined them, after Trixie insisted that he turn off all the lights in the house except for the Christmas tree, he was surprised that the movie wasn’t an animated one (but that didn’t stop him from putting his feet up on the coffee table). He didn’t pay too much attention, what with the Detective leaning against him and the urchin yawning every now and then and leaning towards him bit by bit. It didn’t take long for her to sprawl over his legs. But he ignored it because Chloe was running her fingernails through the hair at the nape of his neck. He was content enough to stay put through the whole movie (though the fake beard and the fat suit on the main character was disturbing, and really, why <em>would</em> anyone tell their child that someone sneaked into the house and left them gifts? No one would ever leave gifts somewhere they’d broken into, well, unless it was evidence, but that sort of thing was frowned upon in his former line of work…). </p>
<p>At least until the little beast started snoring like her mother did when she was truly asleep, and Lucifer had to roll his eyes. He wondered if breathing problems ran in their family. His eyes widened in terror. Did <em>the</em> Penelope Decker snore too? It was too traumatic to think about… he tried to think of anything else as the movie continued to play. Chloe leaned her head on his shoulder and that helped just a little. He took a moment to press his lips to her hair. </p>
<p>When the credits rolled, Chloe peeled the little brat off of him and put her in bed. Lucifer was clearing the coffee table of any debris Trixie had left behind when he felt Chloe place a hand on his side. He turned to her automatically and was surprised when she caught him in a kiss. His eyes slid closed and he cupped her cheek automatically. She pulled away right when he’d decided to tease her lips with his tongue. He pouted at her and sighed as she moved to put in <em>Die Hard</em>. </p>
<p>He was pushed back to sit on the couch once she put the movie in, and he blinked up at her as she straddled him. She didn’t even wait for the menu to pop up before she was kissing him again. He let a soft, desperate sound escape his lips and grinned when it made Chloe shiver and nip at his jawline. With a gasp, he brought her lips back to his and devoured her, sipped as much as she let him from the sweetness of her mouth, and brought her down to lay on top of him. He pulled back from her and she made a sound, wanting and gasping and all sorts of perfect. </p>
<p>She leaned into the hand he placed on her cheek, covering it with her own. “Lucifer,” she whispered. </p>
<p>He answered her with a helpless sound, drawn out of him by the way she spoke his name. She let him pull her into another kiss, but he didn’t pull back as, breathless, he uttered her name into the skin of her jaw. “Chloe,” he gasped again, as she threaded her fingers into his hair. </p>
<p>She tugged lightly and he whimpered, pulling her closer. His teeth grazed her neck and he rushed to capture the breathless gasp of his name that escaped her lips. She was beyond temptation and he was readily drowning in everything she offered him. She pulled back from him, pressing her forehead to his. “Lucifer,” she sighed. </p>
<p>His eyes were pulled from her lips to her eyes; he’d never felt like this before. Safe and cared for and wanted just as desperately as <em>he</em> wanted <em>her</em>… her hand cupped his cheek and, overwhelmed, he pressed into the contact and closed his eyes. He shivered when she shifted and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He opened his eyes and met hers automatically. In an instant, he turned and pulled her down to lie next to him and covered her mouth with his. </p>
<p>He kissed her and kissed her and when he felt the fingers of her other hand pulling at the buttons of his shirt he pulled back. She was tugging lightly at the hair her fingers were threaded through, and he shivered as she used her fingernails. She brought his mouth to hers once, twice more, before she tucked her head under his chin and hugged him tight, tangling their legs together. It felt warm and heavy. He was aroused, almost painfully so, but this was… he’d never felt like this before… </p>
<p>He pulled her closer and she gasped, shifting against his thigh a few times as she settled. He couldn’t hold back a gasp of his own, and he stilled her with a hand on her thigh, his fingers gripping for a moment. They laid there panting for a while, the sound of gunfire and shouting coming softly from the television and Lucifer had to take a moment to remember where they were. Chloe was burrowed in his arms, tangled with him in a way he never thought she’d be interested in, but here she was…</p>
<p>She pulled back eventually, her hand on his face, thumb stroking softly at his stubbled cheek. The hand that Lucifer had left on her thigh moved without him noticing until it his fingertips settled soft and gentle, but barely there against the line of her jaw. She shivered and he knew it wasn’t because she was cold, but he pulled her closer anyway (not that it seemed possible to do considering how little space was between them already). She didn’t say a word, just stared at him for a while. He wanted to speak but he couldn’t find his voice. He wanted to stay here in this moment for the rest of his life. There didn’t need to be an after, nor a before, just this moment. His arms full of her, his heart splitting in two with how much he felt for her. </p>
<p>Everything she’d done for him, even when she’d met his family… his <em>father</em>…</p>
<p>The hand on his cheek moved to wipe at the tear he hadn’t known he’d let fall. “Hey,” Chloe gentled him, “hey, its okay, Lucifer. I’m sorry, I didn’t mea-”</p>
<p>He shook his head almost violently. “Don’t apologize to me, Detective,” he told her, “not for that, at least.” She smiled at the soft smirk on his face, but the moment didn’t break. His hand was on her cheek, and he was just- in awe of her, of everything she was. She blinked up at him, waiting for him to tell her what was wrong… He couldn’t look away from her. “Do you know, darling, I-” he broke off with a sigh, and looked away from her. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before…” When he met her eyes again, she was looking at him like she’d been looking at him for… Well, he didn’t know quite when she had started looking at him like that, but it was… it was incredible. </p>
<p>She was stroking at his temple with her thumb, “Like what before?” </p>
<p>He felt like she was pulling it from him, her eyes imploring, like she wanted nothing more than to help him. Perhaps she did… “What it’s like to be wanted,” he barely managed, breathless and terrified that she’d tell him that she had never wanted him and definitely couldn’t now. </p>
<p>“Oh, Lucifer,” she whispered, and she sounded like her heart was breaking. He opened his mouth to speak but her fingers covered his lips before he could speak. They were soft and cool and he received the pleasure of her smile when he pressed kisses to her fingertips because they were there and he could. “Of course, I want you,” her voice was still quiet. She was staring at him with those gorgeous eyes of hers, telling him that she wanted him… He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her.</p>
<p>It was full of teeth and tongue, until Chloe held his face in both hands and kissed every inch of it she could reach. Her lips were soft and perfect and whenever her lips brushed his, he tried to chase the contact. She only let him kiss her when he placed a hand on her cheek, fingertips featherlight against her cheek, and begged her with a breathless, “Please, Chloe, please, I-” And even then it wasn’t enough. There had to be some way for him to give himself to her, to pour himself over the altar at her feet.</p>
<p>She pulled away with a gasp and he moved to her neck, openmouthed kisses and his teeth leaving faint marks that would hopefully fade by the next afternoon (for his sake). She wanted him, and he wanted so much to show her what that meant to him, what he could do to keep her wanting him. She was on her back and he was hovering over her, nosing the fabric of her collar aside to mouth at the skin there. “Lucifer,” she gasped. </p>
<p>“Please,” he breathed into the skin of her neck. He nipped at her collarbone, lightly, not even enough to leave a mark. His hand was on her thigh again, and he pulled it over his hip to bring them together. He gasped as their hips met and turned his attention to the other side of her throat. She squeaked out a moan and he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his lips. He teased her in the same spot with a soft bite and soothed it with his tongue. </p>
<p>She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers just as she pulled his hips to hers with her thigh. She made a soft sound as they ground against each other, the contact making him breathless, and then pulled away. When he tried to follow, nipping at her lower lip, she smiled at him, bright and perfect. “Lucifer,” she sighed, her hand on his cheek. “Lucifer…” She only seemed capable of saying his name, some emotion he couldn’t recognize pooling in her eyes. He rested his forehead against hers and let her pull him closer. </p>
<p>He nuzzled his nose against hers, and the emotion in her eyes bubbled over with a giggle. He didn’t know what he’d done to make her cry, but she wasn’t pushing him away… He wiped at the tears streaming from her eyes, kissing her cheeks softly as she smiled and shook with laughter. “What’s so funny?” he asked her. </p>
<p>She was still smiling at him, not laughing so much anymore, but her eyes were brighter than he’d ever seen them. She shook her head, quick and soft, like she always did when she didn’t know what to say. “You’re so cute,” she told him instead. </p>
<p>His eyes narrowed. “You use that to describe the urchin…”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes at him. “Really?”</p>
<p>“I’m not an urchin!”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t mean you’re not cute.”</p>
<p>He grumbled, trying to get her usual response, another eyeroll, but she was still looking at him like that. Like she had never been happier. With a sigh, he softened, he felt the same way. Chloe yawned in his face and sighed. She had been the one driving today so he knew she must be tired. “Let’s get you to bed, Detective,” he whispered into her temple as he dipped down to place a kiss there. </p>
<p>She pouted at him and pulled him down next to her. “But I want you to stay,” she said into the skin of his neck. She yawned again and he knew she wouldn’t last much longer. </p>
<p>“I’ll stay,” he told her, moving a strand of hair from her face. He picked her up, pausing as he sat to turn off the television, and stood with her in his arms.</p>
<p>“Your back,” she started to protest, her hand slipping from his shoulder to the lowest part of his back she could reach. </p>
<p>He hushed her and carried her up the stairs to her room. He set her down on the bed, but she didn’t want to let him go.  He sat with her on the bed, her arms around his neck, fingers clutching at his suit jacket. “Detective,” he huffed softly. He detached her fingers from his person and settled her on the right side of the bed. He couldn’t cover her with the blankets, so he brushed a strand of hair from her face. He was about to leave the room, but then he’d stopped to linger at the door, to get one more glimpse before she remembered herself tomorrow and then her eyes opened and that <em>blue</em> cut through his heart… </p>
<p>Her brow furrowed. “Where are you going?” she pouted at him. </p>
<p>“Downstairs,” he told her.</p>
<p>She sat up in bed and he stepped back into the room, trying to stop her from getting up. She reached out and snagged his hand and he let her reel him in close to the bed. She didn’t let go of his hand. “We leave the tree on at night,” she yawned, “you don’t need to unplug it…”</p>
<p>Lucifer blinked at her. </p>
<p>“Come lay down,” she pulled at his hand until he sat next to her.</p>
<p>“Just because we were… closer at my parents, doesn’t mean you have to-” </p>
<p>“Lucifer,” she sighed, and gave him a look. “We were just making out on my couch; I think we’re closer <em>now</em> than we were at your parents’ house.”</p>
<p>He blinked again. “Right…” And then, haltingly, he slipped off his suit jacket. When Chloe flopped back onto the bed, he stood and unbuttoned his waistcoat. She was watching him. It made him hesitate, his fingers hanging in the air by the first button of his shirt. But it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, <em>and</em> it hadn’t bothered her when they’d been at his parents’. He’d left his bag in the car, so after he slipped his shirt and belt off in quick succession he gathered the pieces of his suit in his arms. He didn’t mind sleeping in his trousers if it meant that he got to be close to Chloe. He set his clothes over the chair in the corner (not folded, he was much too scared that she’d change her mind) and sat down on the left side of the bed as Chloe huffed and struggled to get under the covers without getting up. Lucifer knew that she was tired, but she hadn’t even changed into her pajamas. “You should change, Detective, you’ll never get comfortable in those jeans,” he told her. He was untying his shoes when she grumbled at him, but she started moving around. </p>
<p>She was still lying in bed, struggling with something under the covers when he pulled his side of them down. Just as he was about to relax back against the pillow, she pulled her jeans out from under the covers and threw them on the floor in a heap. Her bra was next. He tilted his head to the side as she snuggled down under the blanket. They were both silent for a moment (though Lucifer could tell that Chloe was only quiet because she was tired, not because she’d taken her clothes off and hadn’t put any new ones on). She yawned at him, “Lay down?” and tugged gently on his arm.</p>
<p>He’d just managed to settle on his side, facing her of course, when her arm came around his waist and she tucked her head under his chin. Her fingertips were caressing the part of his lower back that ached the most (sleeping in a car always managed to do his back in and holding the urchin like he had been certainly hadn’t helped). He didn’t know how she knew where he would be hurting the most, but her touch there made him relax more than anything. He slipped his arms around her, squeezing a little, but she didn’t tell him that he was holding her too tight, so he buried his nose in her hair. </p>
<p>They were quiet for a while. “Is this okay?” she asked into the skin of his neck. </p>
<p>He huffed out a disbelieving laugh, “More than…” His eyes slipped closed. He relaxed into her as her fingers stilled against him, and he drifted off awhile after her snores started, feeling like this was how he wanted to end every day he had left to live.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so, here i am in the middle of packing all my shit (yeah im moving into my new place today!!!) and here we all are at the final chapter of thefakedating (which is what i call this fic in my head, sorry to cast off all the illusions of whatever illusions i give off??). anyway, here we are at the end of the fic i never thought i'd finish in time (and i did!!!!!! on Christmas day even!!!!!!!!!!!!). </p>
<p>so i want to thank SomeoneASGoodAsYou for always being there and telling me im an idiot because its true and i need that sometimes, so thanks man for keeping me on track. and!!!!!!!!! all of you reading this right now!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you guys so much it really wouldn't be a thing if i didn't have you guys to keep me going!!!! thank you for all your comments and all the excitement for this one!!!!!!!! you guys really are the best readers a fic writer could ever ask for, ya know?</p>
<p>okay enough already with the big speeches huh??? who wants the last chapter?? hope it fits, hope it satsfies!!!</p>
<p>enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, he woke before she did. She was still in his arms, still pressed against him. Still snoring softly into his chest. She’d kissed him yesterday. More than once. She’d told him that she wanted him… No one had ever wanted him like that before…</p>
<p>He heard a soft knock on the door and he turned just in time for the urchin to poke her head in. Lucifer glanced at the clock and rolled his eyes. He’d have to convince the Detective to start letting her daughter stay up later. Then he’d finally get to spend quality time with Chloe in the mornings. She waited at the doorway for a moment, until he sighed heavily and patted the bed. She grinned and climbed into bed with them. She was practically lying on top of him, but she stopped squirming once she’d wrapped herself in the blankets. </p>
<p>“Good morning, Lucifer!” she whispered at him.</p>
<p>“Morning, urchin.”</p>
<p>“Do you think mommy has chocolate chips in her secret stash?” </p>
<p>“How do you know about my secret stash?” Chloe asked at a mumble. Her eyes were still closed, and she sounded like she was still half asleep. </p>
<p>Trixie gasped and covered her mouth. Then she sat up and crossed her arms, pouting at her mother. “You were just asleep!” </p>
<p>“I <em>do</em> have chocolate chips in my secret stash, Monkey,” Chloe chuckled, “but what do you want them for?”</p>
<p>“Chocolate chip pancakes!” She grinned.  </p>
<p>Chloe hummed but didn’t move from where she’d buried her nose, “I guess that’s okay…” Trixie gasped and let out a quiet ‘yes!’ and scrambled out of bed. Lucifer blinked as she rushed out of the room and gaped at Chloe when she just sighed and sat up. “Come on, Lucifer,” Chloe yawned. And then she was out of bed and across the room, wishing her urchin a ‘Merry Christmas Eve’ when the urchin did the same to her. </p>
<p>He laid there for a moment and then sighed. He supposed he should at least make the Detective some coffee. He just grabbed his shirt and followed the sound of laughter to the kitchen. Trixie was seated on the counter next to Chloe as they mixed the pancake batter together. Chloe was smiling at her daughter, laughing at something she’d said, and Trixie was grinning like she was proud that she’d made her mother laugh. </p>
<p>He slipped into the kitchen with them and started fiddling with the coffee machine. Chloe came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder blade. He sighed and leaned into her touch. He was about to tell her good morning and lean down for a kiss, when she froze and suddenly pulled her hand away. He blinked at the absence and turned to her. He <em>knew</em> she couldn’t actually care about him… especially after she’d met his family. After what his family had almost done to them… </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Lucifer!” she said. Her brow was furrowed, and he tilted his head in response; that wasn’t what he expected to come out of her mouth. She must have caught his confusion because she sighed and tucked in closer. “I touched one of your scars…” she whispered, looking up at him with those eyes of hers. She placed her hand on his chest, her thumb stroking along the fabric of his shirt softly. </p>
<p>Lucifer blinked at her. She was… She- He hadn’t even realized that she- And he thought that… She was just- “Detective,” he sighed, and he was fond of her, of course he was, but she was so very frustrating. “Detective, after last night, I don’t think that I could ever deny you access to any part of my-”</p>
<p>“Lucifer, the first time I touched one of them, you almost broke my wrist,” she sighed at him. “Just because we’re together now, doesn’t mean I get to touch you wherever I want, whenever I want.”</p>
<p>“I’m more than sure it <em>does</em>, darling,” he told her with a smirk. “Especially when I want you to touch me wherever you feel like it.” He pulled her closer and she rolled her eyes, but she didn’t pull away until Trixie called her back to the stove, complaining that two pancakes weren’t enough for breakfast. </p>
<p>He watched the two of them playfully argue with each other. Being here and being with his family… there was such a difference…</p>
<p>“Merry Christmas Eve, Lucifer!” Trixie said to him once he’d poured the Detective her cup of coffee and sat himself next to her at the kitchen bar. </p>
<p>He sighed. “Yes, yes, you too,” he grumbled, taking a sip of his own coffee. He wished he hadn’t left his flask upstairs; his coffee just didn’t taste the same without whiskey. </p>
<p>Trixie started babbling about whatever it was children thought about on the night before Christmas and he found himself listening to her and Chloe’s banter. It was quite different than the Christmas Eves he’d had as a child. Not that he’d had very many at his parents’ home. But the difference was clear. There was a warmth with the Detective and her spawn that wasn’t present around his family… </p>
<p>Chloe placed a plate in front of him and Trixie and insisted that he eat while she made herself some pancakes. He watched her as she waited impatiently for them to be ready to flip. He was smiling gently at her as she sipped anxiously at her coffee. She just started them, and she was already pouting before she’d even added the chocolate chips to hers. </p>
<p>He let Trixie tell him about the dream she had the night before, giving her a look when she asked him to tell her what it meant. He’d just blinked at her and looked between Chloe and her daughter when they laughed at him for telling her that it was all the sugar from the party catching up with her. He couldn’t possibly tell her what a talking penguin and a pink anteater had to do with anything other than that. </p>
<p>Chloe left him with the urchin while she dressed and went to the store to buy supplies for dinner and the next few days. She told him that she would be gone for a few hours and that he had to make sure the urchin didn’t snoop around for her presents. It was easy enough to sign her into his Netflix and once she saw her mother’s profile on his she just had to make her own, so he let her. But then she started a Christmas movie. And when that one was done she started another and then another and he felt like his brain was melting. </p>
<p>The moment Chloe entered the apartment, he was off the couch and fetching the rest of the groceries from the car for her. When he returned, Chloe had managed to get Trixie to promise that this was the last Christmas movie until after dinner (which wasn’t ideal, but it was something that he could deal with). He made them all a quick lunch of grilled sandwiches and crisps and this time Chloe was the one to pick what they got to watch (she picked one of those house hunting shows where people like him asked a realtor to help them find ‘the perfect house’ which he would never do, he had his own private realtor, thanks much). </p>
<p>He settled on the couch and had to remind himself not to be surprised when the Detective leaned against him. He had just picked up his sandwich when she nudged him with her shoulder. “Hey,” she said softly. He looked down at her, and he couldn’t help the upward quirk of his lips. “Where’s my ‘hello kiss’?” she asked with a smile of her own. </p>
<p>He leaned down to kiss her, soft and slow, and when he pulled away he whispered, “Hello, darling…” He placed a hand on her neck, his thumb stroking at the line of her jaw. </p>
<p>She was staring up at him, a soft, dazed smile on her face. He huffed a soft laugh at the thought that he felt the same, dazed and just- happy that she was letting him kiss her at all, and ducked his head to kiss her again just because he could. This time it was Chloe that pulled away and it was only because Trixie cleared her throat. “Yeah, Monkey?” Chloe asked, her face turning a little pink (which charmed him, of course it did, <em>everything</em> about her charmed him). </p>
<p>“I told you, you guys were mushy!” she sighed, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Chloe went a darker pink and Lucifer chuckled as she shoved a handful of crisps in her mouth to avoid dealing with them. He looked over at the urchin to see if she was really bothered by them being ‘mushy’ but she was just giving her mother a soft smile. Like she wasn’t used to seeing her mom as happy as she was now. Lucifer wondered what the Detective was like when he wasn’t around…</p>
<p>His thoughts were interrupted a few minutes later when Chloe nudged him again and asked him if the mansion the couple on the television was looking at was overpriced. It was and he told her so before he tucked into his sandwich. He wasn’t really interested in what they were watching and was content to just sit with Chloe leaning against him. </p>
<p>Eventually Trixie got bored of the show they were watching and went to go play in her room, leaving him and Chloe in the living room. Chloe stretched, and he turned to watch her, but she surprised him with a quick kiss before settling her head on his shoulder. He blinked down at her for a moment, still amazed that she actually wanted to be near him, that she wanted him at all. </p>
<p>Lucifer wasn’t really aware of the time passing, more than happy to spend any amount of time with Chloe in his arms. He’d never felt that way about someone before. He felt like he could spend the rest of his time left with her, just like this…</p>
<p>Eventually, she stood and stretched and asked the room, “Who’s ready to make pizza?” </p>
<p>Trixie all but flew into the kitchen, vibrating excitedly as Chloe followed at a much more reasonable pace. Lucifer blinked; he had never seen the urchin move so fast. He heaved himself off of the couch and joined them in the kitchen. Trixie hadn’t quite hit that growth spurt that he knew the Detective had been dreading, so she was struggling to climb up onto the counter as Chloe was busy grabbing everything that they would need. With a sigh he picked her up and placed her on the counter, rolling his eyes as she grinned at him. </p>
<p>The kitchen was chaos with all of them doing something and Chloe trying to direct them, but eventually their pizza went into the oven and all there was left to do was wait. Lucifer watched them dance around the kitchen to the Christmas music that Chloe had put on while they’d prepared dinner. He couldn’t help the soft smile that crept onto his face as they danced in front of him, ridiculously uncoordinated dancing at that, marveling at this… this softness he felt, the warmth. </p>
<p>This was the first Christmas that he hadn’t spent alone in a very long time. He wasn’t- he’d never been around people that <em>cared</em> during this time of year… And of course, the Detective had offered before, he’d even come over the day after, but never Christmas Eve or Day. He just hadn’t ever taken her up on it. He hadn’t wanted to bother them, to intrude on their family time (and he just kept thinking over and over about what Raphael had said, that they, that Chloe and the urchin, thought of him like he was their family, but that couldn’t be right, how could they?).</p>
<p>Chloe looked up at him, her smile bright and her laughter ringing around the room, mixing with Trixie’s and the music. He couldn’t help moving towards her, bringing them both into his arms and spinning them in time to the beat of “Jingle Bell Rock” as they laughed and giggled. </p>
<p>Chloe left him to dance with Trixie when the oven went off and she jumped at him until he sighed and let her stand on his feet as they swayed gently. The song switched as soon as she managed to balance on him and he sighed when she gasped and told him that he absolutely <em>had</em> to dance with her “pretty, pretty please, Lucifer!”</p>
<p>He caught the beat easily enough and kept his steps short so that she wouldn’t fall. She was singing and smiling up at him and he just had to smile back at her as he spun them, making her smile turn into giggles. When the song was over, Chloe was leaning against the counter, teary eyed but smiling so softly at them that it made his heart ache. </p>
<p>“Come on, you two,” she said, “it’s time for pizza.”</p>
<p>Trixie cheered and pulled away from him, rushing to the table. He only had eyes for Chloe. He crowded her, leaning down to butt his forehead against hers before chasing her lips with a kiss. Her hand went to the back of his neck and held him to her as they swayed gently before he pulled away. She placed a hand on his cheek, her thumb stroking at his bottom lip and then the slight cleft of his chin. “What was that for?” she asked, her soft smile calling to him again. </p>
<p>He just hummed and kissed her softly again, just glad that he could kiss her whenever he felt like it. She sighed against his lips and didn’t want to pull away, but the urchin was waiting for them at the table. And he really wanted at least one piece of the pizza that she was about to start poking at with her finger. </p>
<p>Dinner was quick, and then Beatrice decided that they all had to get dressed in their pajamas because it was “movie time”. Which meant he finally had to bring his bag inside. He changed into his pajama pants, a bit concerned that he didn’t have a shirt to wear, but when he joined them on the couch neither of them seemed to care. Chloe leaned against him with a sigh and smiled at Trixie as she put on a cartoon that didn’t look like a cartoon at all. It looked like the characters were made of clay and he sighed when a snowman in a waistcoat and bowler hat started singing. This was going to be a long night…</p>
<p>He hadn’t known that it would <em>literally</em> be a long night. After the urchin went to bed, he and Chloe stayed up on the couch for a few hours just talking and enjoying each other’s company and then she got up off the couch and when she came back her arms were filled with presents. She made a few more trips, most of the presents already wrapped, but there were a few that she had him help with. By the time that they had everything set up to the Detective’s standards (something about how “it has to look like Santa set it out, Lucifer, like it was put there by magic” which he didn’t understand, it would seem like magic simply because they weren’t there before, but the Detective seemed set on doing it her way and really, she was the expert after all, so he let her do it her way). </p>
<p>He and the Detective spent a while organizing the presents around the tree and once they were done, she leaned back against him to look at it. His arms went around her waist and she settled deeper into him with a sigh. She was right… it did look a little more magical with the way that the different colored lights reflected off of the wrapping paper in the darkness of the room. And the piles she’d made, the way she’d directed him to arrange certain boxes, made the presents seem almost endless. </p>
<p>His eyes were drawn to her face, they were always drawn to her face, she was beautiful (the glow from the tree lit up her features, highlighting them in a soft glow. She was always beautiful, of course she was, but now? Today? With the feeling of belonging wrapped up with her in his arms? He’d never had her take his breath like this…) and he had to see the expression on her face at this moment when he knew she was proud of herself and happy because she was doing something for someone she loved (and it was absolutely nauseating how she always, <em>always</em> did things for others, and how she always sympathized with the one who had lost someone the most during their cases, how it made her relentless in her work and those reasons, among many others, were only part of why he was in love with her …). And he- Oh.</p>
<p><em>Oh</em>…</p>
<p>He really was in love with her, wasn’t he? He was in love with the woman in his arms and he didn’t know how to tell her. The words stuck in his throat and he felt his eyes burn. </p>
<p>She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up at him with a furrow in her brow. “Lucifer? What’s wrong?” Her hand came up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into the contact.</p>
<p>“Absolutely nothing,” he gasped. And then he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips met and his brow furrowed because what he felt for her, how much he loved her, felt like it was flowing out of him. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. </p>
<p>She smiled gently up at him. “What was that for?” she asked, and she was looking at him in a way she never had before, and it made him even more breathless. </p>
<p>The words stuck in his throat and suddenly he doubted his place with her on a night that all the movies told him was for family. But- but it felt like he belonged here with her, with them, he felt like they both accepted him, even the unpleasant bits they’d seen over the last few days… Instead of telling her that he was in love with her, that he’d give her every part of him if she’d just let him be near her, he asked, just as terrified of her answer to those three words as he was the answer to this, “Is this… is this what family is supposed to feel like?” </p>
<p>Chloe gasped, and nodded immediately, tears filling her eyes. “Yeah,” she told him. “Yeah, Lucifer, it is…” And then she kissed him, nipping at his bottom lip lightly as she pulled away. Then she yawned at him. He couldn’t help thinking that he really was in love with her and let out a soft, amused huff. </p>
<p>“You should sleep before the urchin wakes up, darling,” he told her softly, pulling her back against his front. </p>
<p>“You too?” she yawned. </p>
<p>“If you’d like,” he offered. </p>
<p>She hummed with a soft smile and placed her hands over his where they rested clasped over her middle. Eventually he got her up the stairs and into bed. She snuggled against him and once she was fully asleep, he slipped out of her arms. She was so tired that she didn’t even stir. </p>
<p>Weeks ago, before any of this happened, when he’d been planning his normal Christmas routine at the Decker’s apartment, he’d hid the gifts that he’d bought for the both of them in the storage closet on the patio of her apartment. It was a game of sorts, to hide their presents in her house while she was out one day during the first month (that was after he’d seen how sad Chloe was that Daniel had to pick up the urchin on Christmas when she had been used to them spending the whole day together before her and Daniel’s divorce had been finalized, so he’d laid out a little detective’s game for her the next day and then the next year he’d planned ahead). He had been planning the same thing this year, but the Detective, Chloe had convinced him there could be something magical about finding a present under the tree. </p>
<p>When he came back in from outside, the urchin was sitting on the couch staring at the tree with wonder. He glanced at the clock on the stove top. It was after four am and the Detective had said that Beatrice would wake them up at 6:12 on the dot like she did every Christmas morning. She didn’t even startle as he sat himself next to her, placing his presents on the coffee table. </p>
<p>“This is my favorite part of Christmas,” she told him, a loud whisper.</p>
<p>“The presents?”</p>
<p>She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the tree. “I like seeing the tree after Mommy puts all the presents out,” she sighed. </p>
<p>He hummed and looked at the tree too. It did look rather perfect. Then he paused. “Hold on, I thought you still believed in Santa Claus?”</p>
<p>She gave him a look, similar to her mother when she thought he was being particularly dense. “I’m 10, not stupid,” she told him. “And Maze told me a long time ago…” They sat there in silence for a long time. “Sometimes I watch her from my room when she thinks I’m sleeping. She spends hours getting it perfect some years…”</p>
<p>Lucifer smiled. “A bit of a perfectionist, your mother,” he chuckled. </p>
<p>She grinned back at him, but then her smile faded a little bit. “She tries really hard to make me happy,” she told him, her voice soft. </p>
<p>He nodded at her. The Detective <em>always</em> put her spawn first. </p>
<p>She swallowed and looked down at her hands, “You make <em>her</em> really happy, Lucifer. You make me happy too, but I’ve never seen her smile at someone like she smiles at you.” He blinked, unsure of what to say, of what to do. “Every year I ask Santa for my mom to be happy even though he’s not real. I thought someone would hear it somewhere and make it happen…” She looked up at him.</p>
<p>He didn’t know what the look in her eyes meant but his heart clenched. “That’s all I want, too, urchin,” he told her. “For her, for the both of you to be happy. Your mother is never content until you are, you know…”</p>
<p>She nodded. And then she eyed the presents he put on the table. “Are those for us?” she asked, a grin forming. </p>
<p>“You can’t open them yet,” he told her instead. She pouted, but she grinned when he asked her to put her mother’s present under the tree. When he’d placed hers somewhere she’d have to dig to get to, he sat back on the couch. Trixie clambered onto him and pushed at him until he was lying down. He was confused until she laid on top of him and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to cocoon herself in. “You and your mother,” he grumbled, but he placed a hand on her back as she yawned.</p>
<p>He stared at the tree for a long time, thinking about the feeling of being here in the Detective’s apartment, of feeling like he was a part of something with the two of them, the room lightening around them as the sun rose. Somehow the tree didn’t lose its magic as the sun started to rise.</p>
<p>It was well past 6:12 by the time Chloe padded softly down the stairs. He listened for her and was blinking up at her when she rounded the couch. She smiled gently when she saw them, her shoulders relaxing. She smiled at him, bright and shining and looking so full of happiness that he thought she was going to burst. And that. That was perhaps the best Christmas present he could ever get. </p>
<p>(And when she leaned down to kiss him, her hand on his cheek, he knew he was going to think about that moment for the rest of his life. Just then he didn’t care about what his family thought, what his fears were, he knew he loved her and one day he would tell her, but he was feeling too much to voice it in this moment.) </p>
<p>The rest of the morning was a sort of peaceful chaos he hadn’t ever experienced before. Wrapping paper strewn everywhere, the urchin’s excited chatter, Chloe sitting on the couch nursing a cup of coffee watching her daughter’s joy and smiling as if it were her own and not even caring that she was beyond exhausted… Trixie barked a laugh of triumph as she found the gift he’d got her. He grinned as she opened it. He scoffed out a soft laugh and shook his head. So, <em>this</em> was Christmas…</p>
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